


We Only Have Tonight

by Wayhaughtterthanthat



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: 20 Questions, F/F, Going away party, Instant Connection, One Shot, Wayhaught - Freeform, one night
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-21
Updated: 2019-09-27
Packaged: 2020-05-16 04:05:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 49,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19310269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wayhaughtterthanthat/pseuds/Wayhaughtterthanthat
Summary: Nicole Haught is leaving on a police assignment in the morning. Wynonna drags Waverly to the going away party that the police department is throwing for Nicole. Waverly has different expectations for her night than how it actually ends up.





	1. The First Night

**Author's Note:**

> Due to popular demand - this story will develop from a one shot to a multiple chapter fic. Be patient with me, but there will be more!

**_6:00pm_ **

“I’m not coming to a party with your friends tonight,” Waverly huffs at her sister, Wynonna. She’s clearing the table of dishes from dinner and washing them in the sink.

“Come on, babygirl!” Wynonna whines. “If I have to come home to you asleep on the couch with the end credits of ‘Sleepless in Seattle,’ I’m going to die!”

“That’s a risk I’m willing to take,” Waverly laughs. “You’re being dramatic.”

“You need to get out more!” Wynonna tells her. She makes her way up to her sister and starts drying the clean dishes.

“I get out plenty,” The younger Earp retorts. “I just don’t need to go get drunk with your work friends to have a good time.

“You’re really going to make me go to this alone?” Wynonna asks. Her tone is more serious now.

“What’s the big deal? You hang out with them all the time! Nicole is one of your best friends at the station,” Waverly tells her.

“Not with Nedley!” Wynonna whines.

“You want me to go so I can act as a buffer to whatever beef you still have with Randy Nedley?!” Waverly realizes she’s getting a little loud. “Damnit, Wynonna, you’re not a teenager anymore! You work for the man now,” she lowers her voice a little.

“Well, he still likes to treat me like I’m a teenager,” Wynonna huffs.

“Stop acting like one,” she suggests under her breath.

“I’ll pay you!” Wynonna yells out. Waverly stops in her tracks and gives her sister an unconvinced look.

“You’ll pay me?” She questions.

“No,” Wynonna admits with a small laugh. Waverly sighs and shakes her head, turning back to the sink. “But I’ll love you forever!”

“And you’ll only love me for a little while if I don’t go?” Waverly asks. She continues washing dishes, not turning back to see her sister.

“Don’t test me,” Wynonna teases. She makes her way back to her sister after putting the dry dishes away.

“What do I really get out of this if I go?” Waverly asks.

“A chance to spend a night with your favorite sister?” Wynonna gives her a hopeful smile.

“Fine,” She huffs. She watches as her sister beams with excitement. Waverly shakes her head at Wynonna.

“Get ready, we need to leave in an hour,” Wynonna grins, hitting Waverly lightly with the dish towel.  Waverly groans at the thought of being rushed. She finishes washing the last dish and makes her way upstairs. She digs through the closet, finding something to wear. She’s not sure why she feels the need to put any effort into this, she’s basically just going there to babysit her sister while she drinks. She decides on a pair of light washed jeans and a black, fitted tee shirt.

 

 

**_7:00pm_ **

They arrive at the Nedley house and there are a few police cruisers in the driveway. This house isn’t new to Waverly, she practically grew up there. She had been friends with Randy Nedley’s daughter, Chrissy, since they were 3 or 4. They’ve grown apart over the past few years, but are still friendly toward one another when they see each other. Chrissy is more into going out and partying most nights, while Waverly is, well, apparently old and boring these days if you ask her sister.

“Looks like the cops have already arrived to break up the party,” Waverly jokes. She nudges her sister, who doesn’t find her joke that funny,

Waverly parks the car by the curb in front of the house. She sighs at the thought of having to look over her sister for the night. It’s not that she doesn’t like spending time with Wynonna, but spending time with her at a party usually is her making sure she gets home safe by the end of the night. Maybe this time it’ll be different since she’s at her boss’s house, but she doesn’t put anything past Wynonna.

They make their way to the front door of the house, which swings open before they even reach it, making the pair jump. “What the hell, Chetri?” Wynonna yells.

“Young people!” Jeremy calls out. Jeremy is a researcher at the police department. Wynonna mostly makes fun of him, but Waverly feels like she actually has a soft spot for him. Waverly laughs at the comment when she looks past Jeremy to see Randy Nedley inside with a few other older police officers.

“This party looks riveting,” Waverly jokes.

“Is Haught even here yet?” Wynonna groans. She walks past the pair to enter the house. Jeremy leads them into the kitchen where the drinks are. Waverly enters the room, catching a glimpse of the tall, redheaded officer out of the corner of her eye. She has seen Nicole around since her sister has been working at the station, but she hasn’t actually even spoken to her very often. They had the occasional friendly conversation here and there, but she hasn’t gotten to know her very well. From the little interaction that she’s seen while being around her, she’s not sure that they would have much in common.

“Haught stuff!” Wynonna calls out as she walks up to her, smacking her playfully on the ass. Waverly shakes her head at her sister and slowly walks up next to them. Jeremy trails behind like a puppy dog. She likes Jeremy. He’s always been interesting to talk to and she often finds herself in conversation about different science related topics when she swings by the station.

“Earp,” Nicole says. “What did I tell you about touching my ass in public?” she gives her a fake angry look.

“Only in the bedroom?” Wynonna says with a wink, causing Waverly to roll her eyes at them. Nicole notices the brunette standing on the other side of Wynonna and peers around her.

“Ah, the infamous Waverly Earp,” Nicole says almost as if she’s in the presence of greatness.

“Infamous?” Waverly asks, confused.

“Wynonna talks about you often,” Nicole tells her, gesturing toward the older Earp. Waverly becomes instantly nervous about what her sister could have told her.

“Hopefully you don’t listen,” she laughs.  

“Nothing bad,” Nicole assures her. “I’m impressed though,” she says.

“Impressed?” Waverly asks.

“You actually got her to come,” Nicole says to Wynonna.

“I told you, Haught!” Wynonna laughs. “Now pay up,” she puts her hand out.

“Are you serious?!” Waverly scoffs at her sister. She’s instantly angry and storms out of the room, Jeremy following behind. She takes a seat on the couch in the living room. She notices the room really hasn’t changed since the last time she was there in high school. The photos on the mantel are mostly of Chrissy. There’s a few with Waverly in them. Jeremy sits down next to her.

“You okay?” he asks.

“My sister is just an ass,” Waverly huffs.

“I think she just thinks she’s funny,” Jeremy tells her. “Nedley told her earlier than she can bring you tonight if you wanted to come and she said she wasn’t sure if she could get you to come out.”

“Well, she practically begged me,” Waverly tells him. “But if she’s making money off of me I’m going to kick her a-”

“Those two just get around each other and everything’s a joke,” Jeremy assures her. “I’m not sure that they really made a bet.”

“Are you just going to sit here and defend them all night?” Waverly huffs. She looks up and sees Nicole in the doorway. She gestures to Jeremy to leave. He looks back at Waverly asking for permission to leave her alone. Waverly nods and Jeremy makes his way out of the room

“Peace offering?” Nicole holds up a drink, shaking it in the air a little. Waverly sighs and doesn’t give her an answer. Nicole makes her way to the couch and sits down. “I was just kidding,” she tells her. “I didn’t make a bet with your sister.”

“Well, it wasn’t that funny,” Waverly tells her.

“I’m sorry,” Nicole tells her. “Thanks for coming to see me off,” she says.

“It’s my favorite thing to do on a friday night,” Waverly tells her. “Go to parties for people I don’t know, who are leaving for a whole year in the morning,” she laughs. Nicole smiles back at her. Waverly notices a predominant dimple on her cheek. She likes it.

“Well,” Nicole says. “That’s great because my favorite thing to do is hang out with people, I don’t know at my going away parties, when I’m about to leave for a year in the morning.”

“I guess we have a lot in common,” Waverly says. Her demeanor has softened since Nicole first entered the room. There’s something about the redhead that is calming.

“So this party is kind of lame,” Nicole says. She places her arm on the top of the couch, just over Waverly’s shoulders without actually touching her. “Do you want to get out of here?”

“This is your party,” Waverly laughs. She turns her body on the couch to face the redhead a little more.

“Do you think they’ll miss me?” Nicole asks.

“Apparently enough to throw you a party,” Waverly says, sarcastically. “I’m not about to be responsible for you ditching out before 8:00. Where are you going anyway?”

“Top secret,” Nicole tells her. Her eyes widen and she grins.

“Top secret?” Waverly asks, confused.  

“Police business,” Nicole shoots Waverly a wink. Waverly rolls her eyes, unimpressed. “Okay, so if you won’t let me leave, will you be my partner?” The redhead stands up from the couch. She reaches her hand out to Waverly.

“Your partner?” Waverly asks. She doesn’t take Nicole’s offer to take her hand.

“Beer pong!” Nicole smiles.  

“Fine,” Waverly sighs. She stands up from the couch and walks past Nicole. She glances behind her to see Nicole staring back at her. “You coming?” she asks and watches as the redhead nods and follows quickly behind.  


 

**_8:00pm_ **

Waverly is a lot better at beer pong that she thought she would be. She played at a few parties in high school, but it had been quite some time since that has happened. As the game goes on, the drinks are flowing more and she notices Nicole closing the gap between them a little more. The more she drinks, the less she seems to care.

“Come on, babygirl, don’t miss it!” Wynonna taunts her from the other side of the table. There’s one cup left and Nicole missed, leaving it up to Waverly to win the game for them. She tries hard to ignore her sister, who is clearly a few more drinks in than she is. She’s flailing around on the other side of the table, doing anything she can to distract Waverly. Waverly gives her a look indicating that she’s being ridiculous, but that doesn’t stop her.

“Wait,” Nicole calls out before Waverly has a chance to throw the ball. She takes Waverly’s hand and kisses the ball she’s holding. “For good luck,” she grins. Waverly smiles back at her and aims for the cup again. Tossing the ball into the air, she swears the room goes silent and time slows as she watches the ball soar through the air, hitting the rim of the cup, spinning around the edge and falling slowly into the liquid on the inside. Nicole immediately cheers and she sees her sister groan from across the table. She feels Nicole’s arms wrap around her body. She’s surprised, but reciprocates the hug. It seems to last a little longer than she thought it would but she doesn’t hate it.

They win two more games before Wynonna and Dolls come back for a rematch, finally winning a game. Waverly surrenders to her sister and tells Nicole she’s going to go outside and get some fresh air. She makes her way to the backdoor to find an empty back deck. There’s a faint smell of cigarettes in the air from people smoking out there earlier in the evening, she coughs a little and makes her way further into the back yard. There’s a bench near a garden that she always found peaceful to sit at. She takes a seat and watches as the sky as it becomes darker, the sun is starting to set.

 

 

**_9:00pm_ **

“I didn’t realize you’d be so good at that,” a voice comes from behind her, breaking her from her peaceful moment. She looks up to see Nicole holding out another drink for her. She takes the offer, grabbing the cup from her hand.

“Good at what?” Waverly asks. Nicole takes a seat next to her on the bench.

“Beer pong!” Nicole says.

“I get out,” Waverly tells her. She’s a little more defensive than she means to be.

“Hey, hey,” Nicole puts her hands out in front of her. “I wasn’t saying you didn’t.”

“I’m sorry,” Waverly sighs. “It’s just..Wynonna..never mind,” she huffs.

“Well, for what it’s worth,” Nicole starts. “I’m glad you came out. I mean, I don’t think I’ve ever had a beer pong partner that good,” she smiles. Waverly shakes her head at the redhead. She has this cocky outer shell to her that Waverly feels like she can see right though. “Do you want to play 20 questions?” Nicole asks.

“Not really,” Waverly tells her, honestly.

“Oh, come on!” Nicole groans. “I need entertainment,” she laughs.

“Fine,” Waverly gives in. “What’s your favorite color?” she asks.

“Really?” Nicole asks. “That’s it? You have free range to ask me anything in the world and you go with the most boring thing about a person?”

“Why is that boring?” Waverly asks.

“It’s cliche,” Nicole huffs. She leans further back on the bench, taking a sip of her drink.

“Okay, what would you ask me?” Waverly asks.

“If I were you asking me?” Nicole asks.

“Whatever,” Waverly laughs.

“Sex positions?” Nicole grins. Waverly immediately shakes her head, shutting her down. “Fine, I like blue,” the redhead huffs.

“I think a favorite color says a lot about someone,” Waverly admits. “Blue for example, while it’s very popular, it displays peace and tranquility.”

“Okay, so what’s yours?” Nicole asks.

“Yellow.”

“Let me guess,” Nicole says quickly. “Sunshine And happiness?”

“Optimism,” Waverly smiles. “It’s warm and welcoming. Like a friendship.”

“Are you friendzoning me already?” Nicole smirks. Waverly sighs, attempting to ignore the comments. “Okay, another question, shoot!”

“What’s your favorite book?” Waverly asks.

“You think I read?” Nicole teases.

“Well, I’m supposed to trust you with my life, right?” Waverly asks.

“Huh?” Nicole asks.

“You’re a police officer,” Waverly reminds her. Nicole nods in realization of what she is talking about. “So I hope you can read,” Waverly teases.

“I actually read a lot,” Nicole admits. Waverly looks a little surprised. “Wow, don’t be so shocked. There’s more to me than you think,” Nicole laughs.

“Okay so what do you read?” Waverly asks.

“I’m a sucker for the Harry Potter series,” Nicole admits. She looks like she’s bracing herself for Waverly to laugh.

“I just restarted from the beginning last night,” Waverly smiles.

“I thought you’d laugh,” Nicole admits.

“Harry Potter is a classic!” Waverly says. “Major cool points. And I won’t tell anyone you’re a nerd,” she teases.

“Check out the sky,” Nicole says. She taps Waverly on the arm when she speaks. Waverly turns to see the top of the sun disappearing behind the trees. The sky is mostly dark with traces of pink and blue still visible.

“It’s beautiful,” Waverly says softly. She finds herself quickly caught in the moment.

“It is,” Nicole says. Waverly can feel the redhead looking at her rather than the sky.

“Question 3,” Waverly says as she turns to make eye contact with Nicole. “What’s your favorite time of year?”

“Uh, this time,” Nicole says. “Early summer. It’s warm during the day, but still cool at night. Amazing sunsets,” she gestures back toward the sky as the rest of the sun disappears.

“Haught!” Wynonna’s voice comes from across the yard. Waverly internally groans and remembers she originally came to hang out with her sister. “I need a pong partner!”

“She beckons,” Nicole says. She winks at Waverly as she stands up from the bench. Waverly wants to stop her and tell her to stay, but she smiles at the redhead and tells her she’s going to hang out for a little longer outside.

She watches as the redhead walks away with her sister, who playfully pushes her when she caught up to her. Waverly thinks about how after all the time her sister has worked with Nicole, she was never really interested in getting to know her. She had a preconception of her that she seems to be wrong about.

 

 

**_10:00pm_ **

Waverly decides to make her way back in the house after being alone outside for a while. She sees Jeremy standing alone on one side of the room and joins him. He’s watching the beer pong game intensely.

“How’s it going?” She asks the man.

“It’s intense!” Jeremy says with excitement. “It’s been neck and neck!” Waverly laughs and looks toward the table.

Waverly watches as Dolls shoots the ball into a cup across the table. Wynonna taunts him, calling him a traitor for dropping her as his partner. Nicole then takes the ball and shoots it across the table, sinking it into the cup. Waverly smiles as she watches her and Wynonna celebrating. The game continues and Wynonna and Nicole end up winning, bringing them to play another game. Nicole glances behind her and smiles at the brunette. Waverly smiles back at her. She asks Jeremy if he wants to go back outside to get some fresh air. She gets a little tired of watching the others play beer pong. Jeremy agrees and follows her outside. She makes her way to the other side of yard where there is a treehouse. Waverly and Chrissy used to spend nights in the treehouse together. She climbs the ladder and finds that it hasn’t changed much either. She gestures for Jeremy to join her and he climbs the ladder right away.

The pair spend time talking about anything that comes to mind. Waverly has always found Jeremy interesting to talk to. He usually controls most of be converdetion, but Waverly doesn’t mind. She likes to hear what he has to say. After a while, Jeremy tells Waverly that he’s going to go get himself another drink and asks if she wants anything. Waverly asks if he will bring her another drink and he agrees. She watches him descend down the ladder until she can’t see him anymore.

  


 

**_11:00pm_ **

Waverly continues sitting in the treehouse alone for a few minutes before she hears someone climbing the ladder. She sees a hand reach in and set drinks down before climbing fully into the building.

“Nicole?” Waverly asks when she sees it’s not Jeremy.

“I traded off with Cherri,” she says. “I figured maybe we could continue 20 questions,” she suggests. Waverly smiles and nods at the redhead.

“Question 4?” Waverly asks.

“What’s an annoying habit you have?” Nicole asks.

“Maybe you should tell me,” Waverly laughs.

“I’m sure you have none,” Nicole laughs.

“I ramble when I’m nervous,” Waverly admits. “I overplan. I care too much-”

“Okay, okay,” Nicole laughs. “You don’t have to give me 10!” Waverly blushes a little. Nicole looks deeper into Waverly’s eyes. Waverly feels her mouth become suddenly dry. She takes a quick sip of her drink.

“Do you have any siblings?” Waverly asks.

“Is that question 5?” Nicole asks. “Also, unfair because I already know your answer.”

“But I don’t know yours,” Waverly says.

“Only child,” Nicole tells her. “Can you tell?”

“Is that question 6?” Waverly teases.

“No,” Nicole says. “Question 6 is, if you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?”

“Well,” Waverly begins. “To answer the first question, I can tell a little,” she admits. “And Italy.”

“Ah, Italy is beautiful!” Nicole smiles. She leans back against the wall behind her.

“You’ve been?” Waverly asks.

“I have,” Nicole says. “But I’d definitely go back.”

“Are you offering to go with me?” Waverly laughs. She’s not sure what to say.

“Man, Earp, first you friendzone me, then you want to go on a romantic vacation with me?” Nicole teases.

“You’re impossible,” Waverly groans, pushing Nicole playfully.

“Haught, a word?” Wynonna pops her head into the treehouse, scaring Waverly.

“What the hell, Wynonna!” The younger Earp huffs.

“I’ll be right back,” Nicole tells her. She stands up and makes her way down the ladder of the treehouse. Waverly leans back against the wall, missing the warmth of having Nicole close to her. She watches out the door as the redhead walks away with her sister. They talk at a slight distance from the treehouse in hushed tones. After a few minutes, she sees them both descend into the house. She waits to see if Nicole will come back, but when she hasn’t returned, she shifts and stands up. She turns to climb down the ladder and hears a voice from behind her.

“You’re leaving?” Nicole asks from the ground.

“I didn’t know if you’d be back,” Waverly tells her.

“I told you I would!” Nicole tells her. She has returned with another drink. One for her and one for Waverly. Waverly makes her way back into the tree house and reaches down for the drinks so Nicole can safely climb up. Waverly sits down on a chair in the corner as she watches Nicole plop back onto the floor. “So do you think I’ve stuck around long enough?” Nicole asks.

“What did you have in mind?” Waverly asks. She assumes Nicole still wants her company. Maybe she shouldn’t just assume. Maybe she wants to be alone now and it’s time to part ways.

“I’m not sure,” Nicole admits. But if I only have one more night here, I’m not going to waste it. Come with me?” She asks.

“You only have one night and you want to spend it with me?” Waverly asks.

“You’re the most interesting person I’ve encountered all night,” Nicole tells her.

“I’m not sure if that’s a compliment or not,” Waverly laughs. “Question 7,” she says as she stands up from the chair. “How would you spend your ideal day?” She asks.

“Follow me and find out,” Nicole smiles. She stands up and makes the climb back down the ladder to the ground.

Waverly follows Nicole down to the house. They make their way inside the house. The party has fizzled out. There’s not much happening in the house. A few officers are getting ready to leave. Nicole says goodbye to them. Waverly turns toward Wynonna, letting her know she’s going to go for a walk with Nicole. She makes sure her sister is okay and will make it home safely if she’s not back in time. Wynonna agrees but shoots Nicole a warning look that Waverly decides not to think too much into. She makes a mental note of asking Nicole about it later.

  


 

**_12:00am_ **

“So, what did my sister say to you?” Waverly asks as they make their way down the street into the dark.

“She told me to stay away from you,” Nicole says, nonchalantly.

“What?!” Waverly yells. She turns back toward the house. Nicole puts her arm out to stop her from leaving.

“Hey!” Nicole says, trying to calm Waverly down. “Because I leave tomorrow,” she reminds her, almost as if she’s reminding herself too.

“So I can’t hang out with you tonight?” Waverly asks.

“No. You can. You just can’t fall for me tonight,” Nicole turns her head to the side and grins at the brunette. Waverly shakes her head at her.

“Oh, okay,” Waverly says sarcastically and laughs.

“It’s a fair warning, Earp,” Nicole says.

“You think very highly of yourself, don’t you?” Waverly asks.

“Confidence isn’t a sin,” Nicole tells her.

“Confidence or cockiness?” Waverly asks.

“I guess it depends on who you’re talking to,” Nicole grins. Waverly can’t help but smile back at her. Even through the cocky comments, there’s something about her that she finds endearing.

“Next question. What are we on? 8?” Waverly asks. Nicole nods. “What was your first impression on me?”

“Tonight or when I first saw you?” Nicole asks.

“Do you remember the first time you saw me?” Waverly asks.

“I remember when you came in to see Wynonna a couple years ago.” Nicole tells her. “I thought ‘wow, Wynonna has a hot sister’ and she immediately gave me a warning look like she could read my mind,” Nicole laughs.

“Seriously?” Waverly asks.

“I swear,” Nicole laughs. “Tonight though, it was different.”

“Why’s that?” Waverly asked. Nicole pauses for a moment and looks back at the brunette. She reaches up and tucks a loose hair behind Waverly’s ear.

“You just seemed different,” Nicole tells her. “In a good way.” Waverly takes a deep breath in and let’s it out slowly. “What was your first impression of me?” Nicole asks as she turns to keep walking down the street.

“Cocky,” Waverly states plainly.

“Confident, Earp! Confident!” Nicole argues.

“Whatever,” Waverly huffs.

“I have a question,” Nicole says. “Number 9. Would you rather lose all of your memories or never be able to make another memory again?” She asks.

“So I get to keep them from this point on?” Waverly asks. Nicole nods. “I like those chances,” she smiles.

“Me too,” Nicole says softly. Waverly walks ahead a little, turning toward a park. She stops at the sign to the park and turns back around to see Nicole catching up.

“Have you ever swung drunk at a park after midnight?” Waverly asks.

“More times than I’d like to admit,” Nicole laughs as she turns to follow Waverly deeper into the park.

  


 

**_1:00am_ **

“So where are you really going tomorrow?” Waverly asks again as they make their way through the park. It’s poorly lit by street lights but their eyes have adjusted fairly well to the dark by now.

“I can’t tell you,” Nicole says. Her tone is more serious now. Waverly wants to push it a little further but she respects her need to keep it quiet.

“Fine. Question 10,” Waverly says. “What’s your favorite animal?”

“Sloth,” Nicole says quickly.

“A sloth? Really?” Waverly asks.

“They’ve got it made!” Nicole laughs. “No one expects much out of them because they move so slowly. It’s perfect!” Waverly laughs and shakes her head at the thought. “Well, what’s yours?” Nicole asks.

“Monkeys,” Waverly told her. “I could watch them all day.” She smiles at the thought. “Okay, 11, biggest fear?”

“I’m not afraid of anything,” Nicole huffs. She jumps up on a wooden ledge near the playground, balancing her way down it. She probably feels like it’s going smoother than it is. Waverly watched as she teeters back and forth, almost falling.

“I don’t believe that for a second,” Waverly laughs.

“Cops can’t have fears,” Nicole tells her. “It’s in the handbook,” she teases. Waverly shakes her head at the redhead and sits down on one of the swings. “Okay, Earp, What’s your biggest fear then?” She asks.

“I won’t tell you unless you tell me yours,” Waverly gives her an ultimatum. She looks back at Nicole, who is thinking for a moment. The redhead shakes her head, still refusing to answer. “Okay, question number 12. What’s your favorite thing about Purgatory?”

Nicole laughs and sits down on a swing next to Waverly. “Your questions just got harder,” she says.

“I’m serious! You must not totally hate it here,” Waverly tells her. She plants her feet firmly on the ground and turns to face the redhead.

“It has its perks,” Nicole smiles back at the brunette. “What about you?” She asks.

“It’s home,” Waverly says. She looks around the park as far as she can see in the dark. She’s always appreciated the small town she grew up in, but even now, she feels like she’s seeing it in a whole different light. Or lack thereof.

  


 

**_2:00am_ **

Nicole makes her way over to the slide on the edge of the playground. Waverly remains on the swings for a moment as she watches Nicole climb the stairs and sit at the top of the slide. “You coming?” Nicole calls out. Waverly laughs. She can’t remember a time she felt so free from life just to have fun and see where the night brings her. The more time she spends with Nicole, however, the more the ache in her chest grows when she remembers she’s leaving in the morning.

Nicole slides down the slide by the time Waverly has made it to the top. She sees the redhead waiting at the bottom. “You might want to move over,” Waverly calls down to her. “I’m going to hit you where you’re standing.”

“No you won’t,” Nicole tells her. “Trust me.” Waverly shakes her head and starts the descent down the slide. Just before she reaches the bottom, Nicole moves her legs to straddle the bottom of the slide. Waverly stops at the bottom with Nicole hovering over her. “Told you,” Nicole grins.

“Smooth,” Waverly teases. Nicole smiles back at her. She leans down closer to the brunette’s face.

“Question 13,” Nicole says as she pushes off the slide, moving so Waverly can stand up. Waverly finds herself disappointed with the change in position, but follows Nicole back to the top of the slide. “Who’s your favorite superhero?” Nicole asks.

“You’re going to hate me,” Waverly cringes. “I’m not really into superheroes.”

“Point reduction right there, Earp,” Nicole teases. Waverly playfully puts on a pouty lip. “I’m kidding,” Nicole laughs. “Captain Marvel is my favorite,” She tells her. Nicole sits back on the slide and makes her way to the bottom. She lays back on the hard plastic when she reaches the bottom.

“Okay, now I’m really going to hit you if I slide down,” Waverly laughs as she sits at the top of the slide. Nicole groans and looks up at the brunette over her head.

“Fine!” She huffs as she stands back up. Waverly makes her way down the slide. She stops at the bottom, laying back on the surface, looking up at Nicole. Nicole straddles the slide again and sits down on the edges of it, hovering over Waverly’s body. “This works,” she laughs. Waverly just smiles up at her. There’s a single street light shining down on them. It’s reflecting off of Nicole’s red hair, which Waverly finds captivating.

“To answer your question earlier,” Nicole begins. “At this moment, you are,” she says with a smile. Her dimple makes another appearance on her cheek.

“What? Waverly asks, confused.

“My favorite thing about Purgatory,” Nicole tells her. Waverly stops for a moment and stares back at her. She feels her heart beating so hard she’s convinced the redhead can hear it.

“I thought I wasn’t supposed to fall for you tonight,” Waverly says, softly, almost in a whisper.

“You’re not,” Nicole replies. She leans in, closing the gap between the pair.

“And you think saying things like that is helping?” Waverly says.

“Probably not.” Waverly can feel Nicole’s breath on her lips. “So we probably shouldn’t…” Nicole trails off.

“No,” Waverly says. “We shouldn’t.” She reaches up and grabs the front of the redhead’s shirt, pulling her closer to her. The kiss feels more natural than Waverly had expected, as if they had been doing it for years. Nicole’s lips were warm and soft and tasted less like alcohol than other drunken kisses she has had. Despite Waverly coming close to losing control, the kiss is soft and sweet. They continue to kiss for a few minutes, tongues lightly brushing again one another every once in a while.

The sound of someone coughing to gain their attention comes from behind them. There’s the sudden light of a flashlight shining down on them and Waverly feels like she’s back in high school, sneaking out of her home, getting caught by someone’s parents. Nicole cringes slightly and slowly turns around. “Officer,” she smiles.

“Haught, What the hell are you doing at the park at this hour of the night?” The man asks. “Well, I mean, I see what you’re doing,” he stutters.

“First of all,” Nicole says as she climbs off of the slide. “Fuck off.”

“Sorry, sorry,” the man puts his hands in the air in front of him. Waverly’s eyes adjust a little more after he moves the flashlight from their faces. She recognizes the man as Robin Jett, another Officer that works with Wynonna. He wasn’t at the party, she figures they left him on duty while the rest of them partied. She shakes her head at the thought.

“Listen, Jett,” Nicole continues. “It’s my last night. If I want to spend it at a park at…” She looks down at her watch. “2:47am, I’m going to.”

“Fair,” Robin says. He seems a little intimidated by Nicole. Waverly doesn’t know much about him, mostly just that he’s a rookie and her sister says he talks a lot. “I just got a call that there might be a couple of kids fornicating in the park. Just doing my job.”

“Well, none of that is happening,” Waverly chimes in. She laughs when Nicole seems disappointing and gives her a playful pouty lip.

“Nedley isn’t going to hear about this, right?” Nicole asks. “He will metaphorically kick my ass if he knows I was out all night,” she laughs.

“Secrets safe with me,” Robin tells her. “Besides, you’d probably kick my ass. And not metaphorically,” he laughs.

“Maybe,” she laughs.

“Have a nice night, ladies,” Robin says with a nod as he turns and walks back into the darkness.

“So I’m going to get you in trouble?” Waverly asks. Nicole looks back at her and grins.

“You’re already a bad influence on me,” she says with a wink.

“We can go back,” Waverly tells her. “You should probably get home.” She stands up from the slide and gestures for Nicole to follow her. Nicole reaches out for Waverly’s hand and pulls her back.

“Wait,” Nicole says. “We haven’t finished 20 questions,” she tells her. Waverly sighs.

“I don’t want you to be in trouble,” she tells her.

“Hey,” Nicole says. She moved closer to Waverly, placing a finger below her chin, lifting it until they’re making eye contact. “If I’m going to give them the next year of my life, no questions asked, they can at least give me tonight.”

Waverly finds herself getting easily lost in Nicole’s brown eyes. She smiles and nods. Nothing in her wants to end this night right here anyway. “Question 14,” Waverly says. She boops Nicole quickly on the nose before moving away from her and heading over to the nearby monkey bars. She climbs the ladder on the side and starts swinging from one of the bars. “What’s your zodiac sign?”

“Capricorn,” Nicole answers as she makes her way over to Waverly. The redhead reaches up, grabbing another bar with her hands. “Yours?”

“Virgo,” Waverly answers. “And you’re a show off,” she laughs.

“Why?” Nicole asks. She swings down a few bars, becoming closer to where Waverly is.

“You’re tall,” Waverly huffs. Nicole laughs and jumps back down to the ground. Waverly puts her legs up on the bar and flips herself upside down on the bar. She gestures for Nicole to come closer and pulls her in for another kiss when she is close enough.

  


 

**_3:00am_ **

“It’s getting late,” Nicole says. “Are you tired?”

“Not of this,” Waverly smiles. She continues hanging upside down on the bar for a moment. Her shirt slides up toward her head, exposing her bare abs. She catches the redhead staring at them. Nicole leans in and lays a soft kiss on the exposed skin. Waverly’s abs tighten involuntarily under Nicole’s kiss. She smiles up at the redhead and realizes, by now, most of the blood is rushing to her head. She puts her hands back on the bar and flips over, landing gracefully on the ground.

“Question 15,” Nicole says. Waverly turns back to look at her before she speaks again. “What’s your biggest turn off?” she asks.

“Cockiness,” Waverly teases. She watches as Nicole’s eyes widen a little before she smiles.

“What about confidence?” Nicole asks.

“If that’s what you want to call it,” Waverly finally accepts it. “Yours is kind of sexy,” she grins. She turns to go back toward the slide, taking a seat on the platform near the slide entrance. Nicole quickly joins her. She sits with her back against one of the bars of the structure, with her knees up. Waverly nestles between her legs, resting her arms on the redhead’s knees. “What about you?” Waverly asks.

“Hm,” Nicole thinks. “Lacking a sense of humor,” she says. “I need someone who can put up with me,” she laughs.

“I bet that’s hard to find,” Waverly teases. She steals a quick glance at the redhead behind her.

“It’s not easy,” Nicole admits. “Especially when you agree to leave home for a year. Makes romance a little hard,” she laughs. Waverly tries not to think too much about it. She realizes the more time she spends with Nicole on this night, the harder the morning is going to be. She had no intentions on going to a going away party and developing instant feelings for the person who the party was for. Instead, she leans up for a kiss. Every kiss might be her last, but there’s something about this woman that she is willing to take that risk.

“So what are you doing here with me then?” Waverly asks.

“Making it harder to leave,” Nicole answers honesty. Waverly sighs and rubs her face with her hand. They sit in silence for a moment before Waverly asks another question.

“What about your biggest turn on?” Waverly asks.

“Question 16?” Nicole asks. Waverly nods. “Now we got a real game going,” Nicole laughs. Waverly playfully nudges her. “Honesty,” Nicole answers. “I need someone who’s going to be real with me. I won’t lie to them. They won’t lie to me.”

“I didn’t expect that,” Waverly tells her.

“Why not?” Nicole asks.

“I expected something more physical,” Waverly laughs.

“Well, in that case, I’m totally an ass girl,” Nicole grins. Waverly laughs and finds herself leaning further back into the other woman. “Are you going to tell me your biggest turn on?” Nicole asks, softly. Waverly can feel her breath against her ear, sending a shiver down her spine.

“That dimple,” Waverly admits. She looks up at Nicole, who is now smiling again, and pokes her cheek lightly.

“Sure, you go right for the physical stuff,” Nicole teases.

“Well, I didn’t say your ass!” Waverly huffs. “That’s nice too though,” she laughs. “Fine. Kindness. Always kindness. If you have a big heart and truly care about others, not just yourself, that’s a huge turn on.”

“How am I doing?” Nicole asks. Waverly doesn’t speak. She shifts slightly in Nicoles lap so she is facing her more and immediately pulls her in for another kiss. This time, it’s quickly deepened. Waverly brings her hand up to Nicole’s cheek, sliding her fingers to the back of Nicole’s head, tangling them in her red hair. They continue to kiss until they need to come up for air. “I’ll take that as I’m doing well,” Nicole smiles.

  


 

**_4:00am_ **

They sit together for a while longer until Waverly finds herself yawning. “Are you sure you’re not too tired?” Nicole asks.

“I’m fine,” Waverly says. “Maybe we can walk around a little more?” she asks. “What time do you need to be back?”

“If I’m home by 6:00 I can sleep for a few hours,” Nicole tells her. “We still have a few more questions,” she says.

“You’re very dedicated,” Waverly laughs. She stands up from where she was sitting and reaches out her hand to help Nicole up. They make their way away from the playground, following the paved trail through the rest of the park.

“Question 17. What’s your biggest regret?” Nicole asks. She leads the brunette toward the road outside the park.

“That’s a hard question,” Waverly says. “I try to live so I don’t have any.”

“Nothing at all?” Nicole asks.

“What’s yours?” Waverly asks.

“Yeah, it is a hard question,” Nicole laughs. “Right now, saying yes to this assignment,” she says.

“Why’s that?” Waverly asks.

“Because I didn’t realize I’d meet you tonight,” Nicole admits.

“Well, technically, you’ve met me before,” Waverly argues.

“As Wynonna’s little sister,” Nicole says.

“Ouch,” Waverly says. She cringes a little at the sound. Wynonna did apparently tell Nicole to stay away from her. How’s she going to react when she finds out she’s been out all night with a friend of hers? It’s not like anything can really happen, Nicole is still leaving.

“I didn’t mean…” Nicole trails off.

“Hey, it’s fine,” Waverly says. “Question 18,” she says to change the subject. “Have you ever played any sports?” She decides on a more neutral question.

“Basketball, softball, typical lesbian sports,” Nicole says. Waverly laughs at her reply. “There’s your smile,” Nicole says. “Lighten up, Earp, we only have tonight! Let’s not waste it upset.”

Waverly sighs. She knew very well from the start of the night she shouldn’t get too deep into this. She has only spent the last 10 hours with this woman, talking about things she probably has never told anyone else she knew for years. So what if this is the first time she’s ever really felt connected with someone like this. So what if she wishes she could wake up and feel like it wasn’t just a dream. So what if Nicole is leaving for a year. Who says they can’t pick up where they left off when she’s back. It’s just a year right?

  


 

**_5:00am_ **

Waverly realizes how long they’ve been walking when they turn the corner to the street her house is on. The sky is now a little lighter, but the sun isn’t quite up yet.

“So you’re really leaving?” Waverly asks. She already knows the answer. Nicole nods without saying anything. “Is it dangerous?”

“I’d like to tell you no, but I’m a police officer,” Nicole tells her. “Some days it’s dangerous.”

“Thank you for not lying,” Waverly says.

“One more question,” Nicole tells her.

“But that’s only 19,” Waverly says. She thinks back quickly to try to see if she has lost track.

“I’ll ask the last one in a year,” Nicole tells her. Waverly feels her heart start to race again. How could this woman be standing in front of her, saying all the right things, but feel so out of reach?

“That feels like forever,” Waverly groans.

“It’ll fly by,” Nicole assures her. Waverly isn’t sure if Nicole believes that, but it’s nice to think of it that way.

“It’s just a year, right?” Waverly asks. She’s not convinced that it’s not going to feel like an entire lifetime.

“It’s just 12 months,” Nicole tells her.

“52 weeks,” Waverly says.

“365 days,” Nicole says.

“Five hundred, twenty five thousand six-” Waverly starts.

“Don’t tell me you’re about to start singing musicals,” Nicole laughs.  

“If you don’t like musicals it’s a deal breaker,” Waverly teases. “So what’s the question?”

“Question 19. Do you believe in soulmates?” Nicole asks. Waverly looks up to see they’re outside of her house. The sun is now rising over the trees. She stops for a moment to watch it. She steals a glance of the redhead, who is now mesmerized by the sight as well. She smiles at her. She’s full of mixed emotions. Fear for Nicole’s safety over the next year, the desire to get to know even more about her, determination to wait for her. Nicole must have noticed her staring when she turns to look back at Waverly.

“How about I tell you when you get back?” Waverly finally answers her question.

“Deal,” Nicole smiles. She leans down and lays a soft kiss on Waverly’s lips. The kiss doesn’t deepen, hands down wander. It’s a simple and sweet moment that Waverly engraves into her brain.

“Goodnight, Nicole,” Waverly says with a smile.

“Good morning, Waverly,” Nicole grins. Continuing to smile, Waverly turns and makes her way back into her house. She turns around briefly before closing the door behind her to see the redhead standing in her driveway, waving back at her before she turns to leaves well.

“Until next year,” Waverly says out loud to herself as she shuts the door of her house.


	2. If Tomorrow Never Comes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the positive feedback! Everyone seems to want more to this story, so here we go! Sorry It's taken me a minute to give an update - I hope you like it!

**_June_ **

“Where the hell have you been all night?” Wynonna’s voice floods the dark entryway of the house. Waverly jumps a little and turns around, cringing at the thought of her sister being upset. 

“I was finally getting out of the house for once,” she retorts. Her tone is a little snippy, but she’s unapologetic. Wynonna is always nagging her about getting out more. She turns to take her shoes off and heads toward the stairs. 

“She’s leaving, Waverly,” Wynonna calls out after her as she reaches the stairs. 

“I know,” Waverly says softly. She stops in her tracks, back still facing her sister. The words sting. As if she didn’t already know better, she didn’t really need a reminder. 

“I just don’t want you to get hurt,” Wynonna tells her. She knows her sister cares about her and would probably kill anyone who hurts her, even if it is a close friend of hers. Waverly was more worried that Wynonna would be upset with her choice of person she chose to connect with.

“She’s a good person, Wynonna,” Waverly says, turning around slowly to face her sister.

“She’s a great person,” Wynonna corrects her. “Next to you, babygirl, she’s one of the best people I know.” 

Waverly feels a sudden ache in her chest. She’s shocked to feel something so strong for someone she’s barely spent time with. She feels the weight of everything that went on over the last 12 hours bearing down on her. The weight is suddenly too much to handle and she sits down on the steps, shoulders slumped forward. 

“You told her to stay away from me,” Waverly reminds her sister. 

“I told her to be careful with you. I told her that no matter how hard either of you wish it, she still has to go and I knew that was going to be hard on you the second I saw you with her,” Wynonna says. 

“It’s only a year,” Waverly reminds her. She might be giving herself more of a reminder than Wynonna. 

“You can’t stop your life for a year,” Wynonna tells her. Waverly feels like it’s more of a warning. 

“Who said I’m going to do that?” Waverly asks. 

“I just want you to make sure you’re still living, babygirl,” Wynonna says. Her tone is soft and genuine. 

“And you’ll make sure she is?” Waverly asks. She realizes how grim that sounds, but there’s still a huge part of her that’s completely freaked out and worried about Nicole’s safety. Wynonna nods. She joins her sister on the stairs. She wraps her arm around Waverly’s shoulder and the younger Earp leans further into it. 

“Haught is one of the toughest people I know,” Wynonna assures her. 

“Can I write to her?” Waverly suggests. She’s not sure if Nicole will write back or even be interested in the idea, but it was worth a shot. Maybe she’d find it romantic, like the old days where cellphones and FaceTime weren’t even a thing. 

“I’ll make sure she gets it, I promise.” Wynonna smiles. Waverly sighs. They sit in silence for a few more moments before she feels exhaustion start to take over.

“I should probably sleep,” Waverly tells her. Wynonna nods. Waverly slowly stands up from the stairs and makes her way upstairs. When she makes it to her bedroom, she doesn’t find the energy to even change her clothes before she lays down on her bed. The brunette climbs under the blankets and feels herself melt into her pillow. It doesn’t take much for her to fall asleep. 

 

————-

 

Waverly wakes up a few hours later. She doesn’t feel that rested, but has trouble falling back to sleep. All she can think about is Nicole. She yawns and stretches, peeling herself from her bed. She plops down in the chair at her desk and pulls out a piece of paper to write. She stops to think about how much things have changed in the last 24 hours. She thinks about Nicole’s 19th question about whether or not she believes in soulmates. Could it be just lust at first sight? Nicole was really pretty. And she was also the first person to really pay much mind to Waverly lately. Not that she wasn’t used to attention. But it wasn’t just attention that Nicole gave her. She feels like the redhead actually saw her and not just for what she looks like. It was the first time she really had anyone seem that interested on what’s on the inside of her. Nicole didn’t pressure her, or make her feel like she owed her anything, she just listened. 

Maybe she was unable to answer the question because she never really thought about the idea of having a soulmate before. Maybe she didn’t think about it, because she wasn’t sure that she’d ever meet hers. Maybe now she has.   


_Nicole,_  


Waverly begins her letter. She’s not sure if this will be the only letter she writes. She’s not sure how long it should be, or what exactly she should say.  


_I hope you don’t mind getting mail while you’re gone. This could be the lamest way to communicate with someone these days, but I figured it could keep things interesting._  


She shakes her head, wanting to erase what she wrote. It was a weird feeling to write a handwritten letter to someone these days. At least if it was an email, she could spend more time deleting the things she says than actually writing it. Writing on paper feels more permanent, but maybe it’s meant to.  


_I’m still not sure what you’re going to be up to during your days while you’re gone, but I like to picture you just on a beach somewhere warm. Maybe writing to you is something you’ll find ridiculous, but I just wanted you to know I was thinking about you._  


“Short and sweet,” she sighs. She’s not sure if she should write more. She’s not sure how much effort she should put into something that might not be reciprocated. Maybe Nicole won’t even write back to her. What if she’s actually not interested in continuing anything with Waverly and she just wanted to spend her last night with someone. Waverly shakes her head and rubs her face with her hands. “Get it together, Earp,” she tells herself.

 

How should she end the letter? Love, Waverly? Sincerely, Waverly? Kindest regards, Waverly?  


_-Waverly_  


She folds up the paper and slides it into an envelope. She’s not sure if she should add her return address or just give it to her sister. She’s not even sure where it’s going or how it’s getting there but Wynonna gave her word. 

 

——————

  


The next few weeks go by faster than Waverly thinks that they would. She starts working at Shorty’s as a bartender. She used to pick up shifts there when she was in high school. Shorty had been a close family friend of her aunt, Gus, who works there as well. Wynonna made some comments at Waverly that she wasn’t very social, so she thought working there would help her fix that a little. From time to time, Wynonna would try to get her to go out with her and her friends for drinks. Usually she immediately fears that it just means she needs a designated driver and declines quickly. 

It’s Friday, and Waverly has the night off at Shorty’s so she agrees to meet up with Wynonna and her friends. She persuades Jeremy to come for backup. She figures even if she gets ditched, she’ll at least have someone to talk to. She finds herself spending more time with Jeremy over the past couple of weeks as well. She takes some of Wynonna’s words to heart about not being social enough, so she figures it might be time to find a friend. 

She checks the mailbox for the fourth time that day before she hops in her jeep to head out to the bar. She knows deep down there would be nothing there, but she thought it wouldn’t hurt to give it one more look. It had been a while since her first letter went out to Nicole. She wasn’t sure if she would ever hear back from her, but it was something to look forward to. 

Since Shorty’s is the only bar in town, that’s where she is meeting up with her sister. When she arrives, Jeremy is sitting at one end of the bar, waving his hands in the air when he sees her walk in. Her sister is sitting nearby, talking to a couple of her other coworkers. 

“Waves!” Wynonna calls out. “I didn’t think you were going to show!” She pulls a stool out a little, gesturing for Waverly to join them. Waverly takes the offer, sliding her stool a little closer to Jeremy to make him feel a little more included before she takes a seat.

“You thought I’d blow off a night with my big sister?” Waverly says sarcastically. Wynonna rolls her eyes at her sister and orders her a drink from the bartender. 

“Thanks,” Waverly says with a smile as she takes the drink from the bartender. She makes small talk with her sister and the rest of the group for a few minutes until they start talking about something that she doesn’t understand. She turns to Jeremy, who’s sitting quietly next to her nursing a beer. 

“Thanks for coming tonight, Jer,” she says with a smile. “I needed the backup,” she laughs. She wants to ask him if he’s heard anything from Nicole. All she wants to talk about is Nicole, actually, because she’s all she can think about. But she refrains. They talk about new science ideas Jeremy is working on. He talks about his research at work without going into too much detail about the confidential aspects of the job. Every once in a while Wynonna turns to her and includes them in their conversation, but not often. 

About an hour passes and she notices her sister looking at her watch a lot. Waverly orders another drink and leans over toward Wynonna. “Waiting for someone?” She asks. Wynonna doesn’t answer, she just glances at the time again. Her eyes shift toward the door as it swings open and a brunette woman walks into the bar. Wynonna gestures toward the woman to come join the group. The woman smiles and nods at Wynonna before making her way toward them. Waverly is confused, but watches her carefully. 

She turns back toward Jeremy, who waves at the woman, and continues her conversation until she feels her sister slap her in the arm. She quickly turns her attention back toward the older Earp. “Waves,” she says. “This is Rosita.” 

“Nice to meet you,” Waverly says politely. She shakes the woman’s hand. 

“She’s new to the research department,” Wynonna explains. “Another nerd,” she laughs. 

Waverly laughs as the woman blushes a little. “My new trainee,” Jeremy brags. 

“Jeremy is an excellent teacher,” Rosita boasts. She settles into a seat between Waverly and Wynonna and quickly orders herself a drink, asking if Waverly would like another. Waverly declines, explaining that she just ordered one. They chat as a group for a while before it splits back off becoming Wynonna and her friends and Waverly, Jeremy, and now Rosita. 

Waverly finds herself to be fairly comfortable with Rosita. She’s smart and interesting to talk to. As the night goes on, she notices the brunette is becoming closer and significantly more touchy toward Waverly. Every once in a while she rests her hand on Waverly’s arm and lets it linger longer than expected. 

Waverly notices Wynonna’s constant glances toward her through the night. She grows more confused when Wynonna dances her eyebrows at her in a way that she must be suggesting something. 

Waverly stands up from her seat, excusing herself to Rosita and Jeremy. “A word,” she says to Wynonna, gesturing for her to come outside with her. Wynonna follows suit right away. They reach the fresh air of the outdoors and Waverly turns back toward her sister. “Tell me you’re not trying to set me up with Rosita.” Her words are stern, causing Wynonna to cringe. 

“Hear me out,” Wynonna says. She rests a hand in Waverly’s shoulder. 

“Wynonna,” Waverly warns. 

“Look, she’s really smart and nerdy,” Wynonna tells her. “You like that, right?” 

 “I don’t need you to set me up with anyone, Wynonna!” Waverly huffs. She’s speaking louder than normal. 

“But she’s hot!” Wynonna whines. Waverly takes a deep breath in and lets it out slowly, attempting to decrease her frustration with her sister before she speaks again. 

“Why are you trying to set me up?” She asks in a calm tone. Her voice a little lower this time. 

“I just thought that maybe if you had someone to, you know, spend time with,” Wynonna trails off a little. Waverly taps her foot, impatiently waiting for her sister to finish her thought. “Then you wouldn’t spend the rest of the year pining over someone who isn’t here.” The words fall quickly out of Wynonna’s mouth. Waverly is a little taken back by this. “Look, it’s just that I see you check the mailbox several times a day and I don’t want to see you hurt if you’re waiting for something that isn’t guaranteed.” 

“That’s my decision to make,” Waverly snaps. “Did she even receive the letter I wrote?” She’s suddenly having doubts about her sister’s promise she had made to her. 

“I sent it,” Wynonna told her. “I promised.” 

“Listen, Wynonna,” Waverly sighs. “I know you’re trying to protect me here, but I’m going to make my own choices. I can’t help the way I feel and I’m sure as hell not going to force myself to feel something for someone else right now.” 

“I don’t want you to force anything, Waves,” Wynonna tells her. “I just thought you’d get along with her.” 

 “Don’t get me wrong, she’s very nice,” Waverly tells her. “But I’m pretty sure that woman thinks she’s on a date with me when I was never informed about it. That’s not really fair to either of us now, is it?”

 “Waves, I’m sorry.” 

Waverly senses sincere apology in her sister’s voice. “I just don’t know what else you want from me. I don’t sit around the house, I go out, I work-”

“I just want you to be happy,” Wynonna admits. 

“Don’t you think that’s something that I’m going to have to figure out for myself?” Waverly asks. “I’m not unhappy, Wynonna.”

“Okay,” Wynonna sighs. “I’m sorry,” she apologizes again. 

“I don’t think I’m the only one you need to be apologizing to,” Waverly tells her. Wynonna nods. 

“Also, if things do work out with you and Haught, do you think maybe we don’t mention me trying to set you up with other women while she was gone?” she asks her younger sister. Waverly laughs and shakes her head at her sister. 

“Let’s just get back inside,” Waverly laughs. She turns to head back inside the bar, Wynonna following closely behind. They return to the group and sit back on the stools they were previously sitting on. Waverly apologizes to Jeremy and Rosita. She takes a minute to pull Rosita to the side a little and explain to her the conversation she just had with her sister. The woman is sweet and understanding, which Waverly truly appreciates. 

The rest of the night is much more comfortable than it was before she had spoken with her sister. She continues talking with Jeremy and Rosita. Rosita is now providing her with a little more space than before, which she appreciates. She finds herself seeing the possibility of a friendship in Rosita. 

 

——————

 

Waverly spends the rest of the weekend working shifts at the bar and spending time at home with Wynonna. Her sister seems to be continuously apologetic for trying to set her up with Rosita the other night. Waverly keeps telling her that it’s fine and it’s okay to drop it at this point, but that doesn’t stop Wynonna for trying to make it up to her. 

When Monday rolls around, Waverly is sitting in the kitchen with a cup of coffee when she sees the mailman stop at the mailbox. She swears she feels her heart skip a beat for a moment, but doesn’t want to appear too excited. She thinks Wynonna must have seen her perk up. “Are you not going to sprint out there this morning?” her sister asks. 

“Huh?” Waverly asks. She turns back to see Wynonna looking at her. 

“Oh, don’t pretend like you don’t know what I’m talking about,” Wynonna huffs. She walks over to the table and sets her cup of coffee down. “If you’re not going to check, I will. Maybe Haught sent me a love letter,” she teases. Waverly quickly jumps up and blocks her sister’s path to the door. 

“I’ll check,” she says as she heads for the door, causing her sister to laugh. The walk to the mailbox feels longer than it usually is. She doesn’t remember the mailbox ever being that so far away from the house. When she reaches the end of the driveway, she pulls at the cold metal of the mailbox, revealing a couple of pieces of mail inside. She pulls out the parcels and flips through them, finding one with her name on it. In the return address spot on the front of the envelope is a simple ‘N.H.’ She doesn’t realize how big she’s smiling at the sight of the envelope until she feels the pain in her cheeks. She quickly slams the mailbox shut and makes her way into the house. She drops the rest of the mail on the table and plops back down in front of her coffee. 

“I take it you have mail?” Wynonna asks. 

Waverly doesn’t respond. She carefully peels at the envelope, attempting to not rip the letter that’s inside. She unfolds it as quickly as possible and immediately notices the messy nature of Nicole’s handwriting. She doesn’t mind. 

 

_Waverly,_

_Your letter just made my day! It means more to me than I could ever begin to explain._

 

A grin grows across Waverly’s face as she reads the letter. She doesn’t notice at first, but her heart is pounding in her chest. 

 

_I don’t think anyone has ever handwritten me a letter before, so kudos to you. When I was younger I used to picture writing letters and having them sent by owls like in Harry Potter. While that obviously has never happened, it’s nice to pretend from time to time. Hopefully Hedwig gets this to you soon. Tell me about you day?_

_-Nicole_

 

Waverly continues smiling as she reads the letter. She feels like Nicole has shown her a different side of herself than she shows everyone else. She wonders if Wynonna would even understand the Harry Potter references in the letter.

“What are you over there grinning at?” her older sister asks. “Is Haught writing you dirty letters when she’s supposed to be working?” she huffs.

“How’d you know?” Waverly asks, sarcastically. She rolls her eyes at her sister. She folds up the letter and puts it back in the envelope before finishing her cup of coffee. As soon as she finishes her coffee, she makes her way upstairs to her room. She quickly sits at her desk and pulls out a piece of paper to write Nicole another letter. She’s still beaming with excitement from finally receiving her first letter.  

 

_Dear Nicole,_

_Hedwig stopped by with your letter this morning. My day has been non-existent so far, because it’s still early._  


Waverly stops writing and stares at the paper. What? Man, writing letters is so weird. You never know how the timing will be perceived. “Stop thinking so much into this,” she huffs out loud to herself.

 

_I spent the weekend working at Shorty’s. I’ve been bartending there a few nights a week to keep myself busy. Wynonna thinks I’m not social enough. She’s been on me about ‘living my life’ lately. She’s afraid I’m about to put it all on pause until you return. She’s even gotten me to go out with her and her friends a few times. Tomorrow I’m having lunch with Jeremy, he apparently has a new man in his life he needs to dish about._

  


She wants to keep rambling on, but isn’t sure how much to write. She thinks about how much easier it is to talk to Nicole face to face. She wonders what she’s doing at this very moment. Is she safe? She doesn’t want to ask in fear that the answer is anything other than what she wants to hear. Should she tell her that she misses her? Maybe she’ll let her say it first.  


_I hope you’re safe._

 

_\- Waverly_

 

——————

  


**_July_ **

_Waverly-_

_Hedwig is such a trusty owl. Tell Wynonna to step off, I’m sure you’re living your life just fine. I’ll kick her ass for you when I come back if you need. I’m sure you don’t though, I bet you can hold your own. Chetri has a new man? I can’t wait to bust him about that! You know, Purgatory can be pretty lame at times, but I miss that place so much right now._

 

Okay, so she misses Purgatory. Waverly is part of that, right? Why doesn’t she just say she misses her? Maybe she doesn’t? Waverly realizes her inner thoughts are ridiculous, but that doesn’t stop her from quickly jumping to conclusions about things that probably aren’t real. 

 

_Time needs to start moving a little faster over here. Sorry, I’m sure you’re not interested in my whining in these letters. Thank you again for this, it really does help pass the time. I think I read your letters hundreds of times each by now._

 

Waverly can’t help but smile. 

  


_I guess I just miss you._

 

There it is.  


_I’m staying as safe as possible. I’ll be back._

 

_-Nicole_

 

——————

 

The next few months go by faster than Waverly thought they would. She spends her time keeping busy when she feels she needs it and also spending time by herself when she can. The letters between her and Nicole continue. She finds herself growing more attached the woman on the other side of the letters, despite having only gotten to spend one night with her in person so far. She looks forward to a time when Nicole is home and they can pursue something further if that’s what they see fit. For now, she enjoys taking the time to write her letters when she can. She’s become more relaxed about the process of handwritten letters and notices Nicole’s letters have become more flirty as the months go on. She reciprocates this to the best of her ability. 

 

——————

 

**_October_ **

_Waverly,_

_Happy Halloween...almost! I’m not sure when you’ll actually receive this letter. I never got to ask you what your favorite holiday was. Mine is Halloween. I normally throw a pretty epic Halloween party. You’ll see next year._

 

Waverly finds Nicole adding more comments about the future in her letters. She finds it sweet and hopeful. 

 

_When I was a kid, my dad would set up the entire yard turning it into a haunted house. We had one of the coolest houses on the street! Are you dressing up? I’m picturing you as something like a sexy nurse, but in reality I’m sure you’d be something more like cute and nerdy. I’m totally cool with either, by the way. Maybe the sexy nurse could be something more private?_

_Ignore me if I’m being too forward._

 

Waverly laughs. She likes it.

 

_I just can’t help myself. There’s something about you, Waverly Earp._

 

_Can’t wait to see you._

_Always, Nicole_

  
  


_Nicole,_

_My favorite holiday is Christmas, but Halloween is fun too. I’d love to check out this ‘epic Halloween party’ though. I’m just dressing up to work at the bar this year. I’m not going to be a sexy nurse though, sorry to shoot down your dreams. I don’t mind you being forward, I appreciate the directness. Maybe next year I’ll consider the nurse thing. In return, you can help me pick out my Christmas tree._

_I’ll try not to have too much Halloween fun without you._

_-Waverly_

 

——————

 

**_November_ **

_Waverly,_

_I should have known Christmas was your favorite. No offense or anything. It’s just a cheery time of year and you’re the definition of cheery in my eyes._

_Way to ruin all my dreams on the sexy nurse thing. My days are a little lonely, you could at least let a girl dream! (I might be doing that anyway)._

_I guess I’ll help you with your tree. You’re not going to make me watch cheesy Christmas movies though, are you? I fear the answer to that question, but I have a feeling you’ll get me wrapped into them anyway._

_Cheers to this year being almost over. See you on the other side._

_Love, Nicole_

 

Love, Nicole? She notices the sudden change in the closing of Nicole’s letters. Maybe she’s becoming more comfortable with the correspondence. Waverly doesn’t mind. She finds it endearing that Nicole is even taking the time out of her days, doing who knows what, to hand write her letters in the first place. 

  


_Nicole,_

_Who said you can’t still dream? I would never want to take that away from you._

 

She hopes she’s able to pick up on her flirtatious undertones. 

 

_I had a dream about you last night actually. I’ll leave it up to your imagination what you think it was about. I don’t want to shoot down your dreams or anything. So it’s been almost 6 months since you left. I told myself I wouldn’t dwell on that in these letters. But, we’re halfway there! I know this is ridiculously not ideal, but we take what we can get, right?_

  _I miss your face though. So try to bring it back in one piece?_

  _-Waverly_

 

——————

 

**_December_ **

_Dearest Waverly Earp,_

  


This makes Waverly laugh. 

 

_You think I’m going to let anything happen to this beautiful face of mine? I’m doing my best to make it back in one piece. I just keep thinking about how much I have to look forward to when I get home. That’s if you still want to hang out with me, of course. I’m all about consent here. But also, you still haven’t answered question 19. If you think I’ve forgotten, I sure have not! It takes a lot for me to forget something that means something to me, so, while I do miss the shit out of your beautiful face, it’s so engraved in my mind that it literally gets me through everyday._

 

_Thank you for that._

_Love, Nicole_

  _P.S. Merry Christmas, Earp._

  


Waverly finishes the letter and folds it back up. She slides it back into the envelope it came in and tucks it into the top drawer of her desk with her other letters from Nicole. She can’t help but continue to smile after reading her last letter. She starts to think about what it will be like when Nicole is back home. While she’s ridiculously nervous about what will or will not happen, she tries to stay positive and continue dreaming about finally getting to be close to the redhead again. 

She pulls out another piece of paper to write her letter back to Nicole. 

 

_Dear Nicole -_

_Merry Christmas! I wish you were here to see the decorations I put up around the house. Wynonna didn’t really help. She mostly just sat back and made fun of my dedication to making everything look so perfect. I’ll take some pictures to show you. It’s almost the new year. Do you ever make lists of resolutions?_

_This year I just want to live day by day and take everything as it comes. I’m sure that’s going to be a lot easier said than done. I’m a planner. I’m mostly looking forward to seeing where things go this year. It feels more real every day._

  _I hope wherever you are, you have a Happy New Year._

  _Love, Waverly_

  


——————

  


The first couple of months of the year are dragging by. Mostly because she has yet to receive a letter from Nicole. She tries not to worry too much about it or think too much into it. She knew she would be busy at times and there was a possibility she wouldn’t be able to write back as quickly as she would like to. 

It’s the beginning of February and Waverly is having a particularly rough day. She stubs her toe first thing in the morning, gets shampoo in her eye and spills her coffee all over her freshly cleaned shirt she just put on. She lets out a loud sigh as she sits down at the table after changing her shirt and pouring herself a new cup of coffee. 

“Everything okay, babygirl?” Wynonna asks as she enters the kitchen.

“Yeah,” Waverly says, unconvincingly. 

“Want to try not lying to me?” Wynonna asks. Her sister always knows when something is bothering her. Of course, at this moment, she was being quite obvious. 

 “I haven’t gotten a letter in almost 2 months,” Waverly sighs. 

“She’s probably busy,” Wynonna assures her. “She’s got a job to do.”

“I know that!” Waverly snaps. She takes a swig of her coffee and sets the mug back onto the table, hard. 

“Hey,” Wynonna says softly. She makes her way over to her sister and rests her hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry, Waves, I didn’t mean-”

“It’s fine,” Waverly sighs. “I shouldn’t be upset. I’m sure she’s fine.”

 “I’ll look into it,” Wynonna tells her. Waverly looks up at her sister and nods. 

“Thanks,” she says. Wynonna makes her way over to the coffee pot and pours herself a fresh cup of coffee before joining her sister at the table. After a moment, the sound of her phone ringing fills the room. Wynonna reaches into her pocket and pulls it out. She looks slightly confused when she glances at the screen and excuses herself quickly. She steps into the other room, out of sight. Waverly can hear her talking, but doesn’t make out what she’s saying. A few moments later, she returns to the kitchen, the color has faded from her face. 

“Wynonna?” Waverly is suddenly concerned. 

“Uh, it’s, um,” Wynonna stutters. 

“Wynonna, what’s wrong?” Wynonna asks quickly. 

“It’s Haught,” Wynonna finally says. “She’s back.”

 “She’s back?!” Waverly is excited at first, but realizes the color still hasn’t returned to her sister’s face. 

“She’s, uh, been shot,” Wynonna finally gets out. “She’s in the ICU, she got there this morning.”

Waverly feels her stomach drop. There’s a sudden sharp pain in her chest. Her head is spinning. She can’t think straight. She can’t speak. She just stands and stares back at her sister, hoping that she heard her wrong.   


	3. Unsteady

_ She was shot.  _

The words continue to echo in Waverly’s mind. She feels frozen. The weight of her feet bare down on the floor. She takes a moment and a deep breath before she’s able to talk. 

“She- she what?” Is all she is able to stutter out. She can see Wynonna is visibly shaken up right now too. She seems like she’s trying to keep calm for Waverly but internally is probably about to explode. 

“She’s going into surgery,” Wynonna assures her. “That’s all I know.” Waverly nods. There’s not much else she can do right now. She’s still trying to allow her mind to process what’s happening. “She’s home, she’s safe now,” Wynonna continues. She seems to be trying to convince herself of the second part. 

The fact of the matter was, Wynonna didn’t know if she was safe. She didn’t know where or how Nicole was shot. She didn’t know the extent of her injuries. She didn’t know the seriousness of the surgery or how crucial time was time now. 

“Can I see her?” Waverly finally asks. She needs to see her. She needs to see that she’s alive. She needs to see that she’s okay. Wynonna nods. 

“I’m going to head into the hospital,” her older sister tells her. Waverly spins on her heels, frantically looking for her shoes. “Babygirl,” Wynonna’s voice is calm and soothing. “I know this is a lot right now.” 

“She’s not going back?” Was all Waverly could think to ask. “She’s back?” 

“She’s back,” Wynonna tells her. “Right now we’re going to focus on her recovery before they even consider sending her anywhere for awhile.” 

Waverly breathes a sigh of relief. Then remembers the situation again. Internally she is back to panic mode. 

“Then we’ll have to deal with pissy Haught pants when she realizes she’s going to have desk duty,” Wynonna jokes to lighten the mood a little. Waverly forces a small smile on her face. She knows her sister is just trying to help. 

Wynonna gestures for Waverly to follow her and they make their way to her truck. Waverly hops in the passenger side and closes the door. The drive to the hospital is fairly quick, it’s not a big town. When they arrive in the parking lot, Wynonna puts the vehicle in park and they make their way inside. They’re quickly greeted by Randy Nedley, who is just inside the waiting room. He gives Wynonna a frustrated look, telling her he told her no visitors.

Waverly can just barely hear the conversation. She’s immediately uncomfortable, feeling like maybe she should leave. 

“Randy, please,” Wynonna says. Waverly strains to listen without seeming too obvious. 

“It’s police business, Wynonna,” Randy tells her. “Family only.” 

“We are her family,” Wynonna reminds him. Waverly can see the man’s facial expression soften. She doesn’t know much about Nicole’s family, just that she’s an only child and Halloween was cool at her house as a kid. The chief of police, however, appears to know more and Waverly feels he has a soft spot for Nicole. 

“Okay,” he says. “But she’s in surgery, so we all have to wait.” Wynonna nods and turns to see her sister in the waiting room. Waverly feels a tear roll down her cheek that she wasn’t even aware had formed in her eye. Wynonna makes her way to her side and wraps an arm around her shoulders. Waverly gives in to the embrace and leans her head on her sister’s shoulder. The tears fall more freely now. 

  
  
  
  


Hours go by before they hear any other news. They’re joined in the waiting room by more police officers. Jeremy shows up and sits next to Waverly. He tries to keep her distracted by talking about his complicated love life. In reality, he’s the one making it more complicated than it needs to be. Waverly appreciates him for his effort though. The entire group looks up in unison as a doctor walks through the double doors and into the waiting room. Nedley stands and greets him with a smile. The pair move to the side to talk. 

Waverly’s doesn’t realize it, but her eyes are glued to the two men talking in the corner. She’s never been any good at reading lips so she really has no idea what they’re saying. After a few moments, Nedley gestures for Wynonna to come over to him. She gets up right away and Waverly watches her every move. They speak briefly before Wynonna returns to her seat next to Waverly. 

“Is she okay?” Waverly asks right away. She’s done enough waiting. She really just wants answers. 

“She’s out of surgery,” Wynonna tells her. “Vitals are stable. But she’s not conscious yet.” 

“So what happens next?” Waverly asks. 

“We wait.” Her sister’s words pierce into her soul. She feels like all she’s been doing is waiting. Waiting for something exciting to happen in her life. Waiting to meet someone worth while. Waiting for letters from Nicole. Waiting for her to get home. Waiting for her to get out of surgery and now she had to wait some more.

Waverly stands from her seat without a word and turns toward the hospital door. She stares ahead for a moment before her feet begin carrying her toward the door under the red, lit up sign that reads ‘Exit.’ 

She keeps walking until she reaches Wynonna’s truck. She knows her sister never locks the doors, so she climbs into the passenger side of the vehicle and shuts the door next to her. Suddenly she lets out a scream that she’s been holding in for far too long. Something in her feels instantly better after she lets out the scream, but the ache returns just as quickly as it left. 

The driver’s side door swings open and the face of her sister appears in the opening. “Can I join you?” Wynonna asks. Waverly nods and Wynonna hops up into the seat next to her. “I’m sorry about all of this, babygirl.” 

“It’s not your fault,” Waverly says. 

“I just wish I could take all the pain away for you. For her,” she gestures back toward the hospital. 

“You can’t,” Waverly says. She’s not looking at her sister. Her head is facing the floor of the truck. She’s picking at her nails, finding anything to focus on than reality. 

“I know,” Wynonna says matter of factly. “Remember when I told you Haught is one of the strongest people I know?” Waverly nods. She turns her head towards her sister. “I stand behind that one hundred percent.” 

“I just want to talk to her,” Waverly admits. 

“Trust me, I get it,” Wynonna sighs. Waverly feels for her sister. She knows that Wynonna and Nicole have been close for a while now. She can’t imagine what it feels like for her as well. Another part of her almost envies the time that Wynonna has gotten with her. She’d give anything for more time. 

They sit in silence for a while before Wynonna agrees to run back inside and check for any updates. Waverly is disappointed when she returns without any news. They agree to go home for the night, eat something and try to get some sleep. Wynonna promises to take Waverly back the next day during visitor hours. 

  
  
  
  


That night, Waverly has trouble sleeping. When she does manage to fall asleep, she has dreams about Nicole getting shot over and over again. She can’t seem to shake it from her mind. It’s about 3am and she slowly peels herself out of bed and makes her way downstairs. She flips on the kitchen light and jumps at the sight of her sister already occupying one of the chairs at the table. 

“What the hell, Wynonna?” She calls out. 

“I should be saying the same thing to you,” Wynonna huffs. “You could have given me a warning to adjust my eyes a little better to the light!” 

“I didn’t know you were here,” Waverly tells her. 

“Couldn’t sleep,” Wynonna says. She pulls out a chair next to her and gestures for Waverly to join her. 

“Me neither,” Waverly huffs. “Hear any news?” She asks as she takes a seat next to her sister. Wynonna shakes her head. She takes the glass that’s sitting in front of her on the table and slides it over to her sister. Waverly picks the glass up and takes a swig without thinking. Whiskey. She cringes a little and hands it back to Wynonna. “Thanks.” 

“She’ll be okay,” Wynonna tells her. Waverly wants to believe that. Part of her does. But she needs something more concrete right now. Proof. Anything. She doesn’t protest or argue with her sister. She’s too tired for that. She just nods. They sit in silence together for a while. It’s what she needs right now. 

  
  
  
  


Waverly spends the next day at the hospital for as long as visiting hours will allow. She’s unsure what’s going to happen when Nicole does wake up, but she wants her to know she’s there for her, however she wants her to be. 

She reads. She plays games on her phone. She talks to people who come in to check on Nicole. Most of the time she sits in the chair in the corner of the room, but from time to time she stands up and walks over to the side of the bed. She holds Nicole’s hand as she speaks to her. She doesn’t always speak, sometimes she just stares at her so hard that it almost feels like she’s waking up. 

“You’re really going to keep me waiting even longer?” Waverly sighs. She takes Nicole’s hand in her own. It’s colder than she remembers. “You made it home early,” she continues. She takes a seat on the bed next to Nicole, careful not to press against her too much. “I’m not sure if you know how happy I am to see your face. Now I just want to see your eyes.” She lets out another sigh. “Your smile.” She trails off. She reaches up toward Nicole’s face and tucks a loose hair back behind her ear. 

She takes her hand again and places a soft kiss on the exposed skin. “I’ll be over there when you’re ready,” she gestures across the room to the chair. She places Nicole’s hand gently back beside her and makes her way back to the chair. 

  
  
  
  
  


The hours of waiting turn into a day, then two days, then three. On the fourth day after Nicole’s surgery, Waverly is well overdue for food and sleep. Wynonna tries several times to get her to go home and rest for a while. She assures her that she will stay with Nicole, but Waverly refuses to budge. “Just bring me something to eat?” Waverly asks her sister. She sounds defeated and Wynonna doesn’t argue with her. She glances up from the book she’s reading, it’s the third one she’s started since she’s been at the hospital. She takes a second to look at the redhead laying in the bed on the other side of the room. She wishes she could just shake her awake or call out her name and she’ll finally open those beautiful brown eyes of hers. 

Waverly lets out a sigh and goes back to reading her book. After a few moments, there’s a sound in the room that fills Waverly’s ears. It’s unexpected, but extremely welcomed. “Waverly Earp, you’re looking absolutely radiant today,” Nicole says from across the room. Waverly looks back up to see the redhead slowly opening her eyes. 

“Nicole!” She calls out. She quickly goes to the door of the room and yells down the hall asking for help. She makes her way back to the side of Nicole’s bed, immediately taking her hand in her own.

“What took you so long, Earp?” Nicole laughs softly. “I feel like I haven’t seen you in 8 months,” she jokes. Waverly scoffs at the comment. Here she is, laying in a hospital bed. She just had surgery and hasn’t been awake in days and she’s still finding the time to make jokes. “My god, you’re more beautiful than I remember,” her voice is softly and raspy. 

Waverly smiles, her heart starts to race and tears fill her eyes. The nurses come rushing in, Waverly is pushed further back while they run tests. The next several minutes are a whirlwind. Waverly is directed back to the waiting room where she meets up with her sister and Nedley. 

“She’s awake,” she smiles. She feels like it still hasn’t hit her fully yet what’s going on. 

“What?!” Wynonna stands up. 

“They’re running tests now,” Waverly tells them. 

“Did she seem okay?” Wynonna asks. 

“I think I’m still in shock,” Waverly admits. 

“We’ll have to go brief her when she can,” Nedley chimes in. 

“Slow it down, Nedley,” Wynonna tells him. “I get that we have procedures, but give her a little space first?” Nedley nods in agreement. He’s always been a man who works by the books, but Waverly appreciates her sister stepping in. All she wants right now is to spend more time in the room with Nicole.

  
  
  
  


Time felt like it was moving pretty slowly when a man came out into the waiting room. Nedley and Wynonna quickly approach him to discuss Nicole’s condition. Waverly hangs back to give them a little space. A few minutes later, Wynonna gestures for her to join them. Waverly walks over to her sister. “She’s asking for you,” Wynonna tells her. Waverly nods and her heart flutters a bit. She follows the doctor back down the hallway and into Nicole’s room. When she enters the room, Nicole flashes her a dimpled smile that makes Waverly’s heart skip a beat. 

“Okay, we just have a few things to go over real quick,” the doctor says to Nicole. Waverly steps back over by the chair she had spent the last few days making a permanent indent in. 

“Hey, doc, you see that girl over there?” Nicole says before he’s able to start asking her questions. The doctor looks behind him and nods. “I really like her so can we try to make it sound like I’m really cool with this gut wound instead of how not smooth the situation really was?”

Waverly laughs and shakes her head. “Don’t listen to her,” she tells the doctor. “Do what you need to do.” 

“I just need to ask you a few questions,” he tells her. “I promise, they’re easy.” He shoots her a quick wink. 

“Man, you’re worse than Waverly,” Nicole groans. “This is like 20 questions all over again.” 

“Um, excuse me?” Waverly is slightly offended. “That was your idea!” 

“What’s your name?” The doctor continues to ask his questions despite the banter between the two women.

“Nicole Haught,” she responds.

“Do you know where you are?” The doctor asks. 

“Purgatory, an ironic town name for my current situation,” she jokes. Waverly rolls her eyes at the redhead who is grinning back at her. 

“Do you know what month it is?” The doctor asks. 

“I hope still February,” Nicole answers. “I missed Valentine’s Day,” she says, glancing around the doctor at Waverly. “We’re not officially dating, I know. But I’ll make it up to you.” Waverly feels her cheek blushing a little. 

“It’s still February,” the doctor assures her. 

“Can I answer questions about her instead? She’s way more interesting than me,” Nicole assures him. “Her favorite color is yellow. I said blue. Blue is so lame,” 

“I don’t think she’s changed, doctor,” Waverly laughs. 

“You seem very aware,” the doctor finally says. Nicole smiles back at him. He finishes a few more tests before leaving the room. When he’s gone, Waverly makes her way back to the edge of the bed. She takes Nicole’s hand in her own. 

“I’m so sorry I didn’t stay safe,” Nicole is apologetic. 

“Hey, don’t apologize,” Waverly tells her. She brushes a loose hair from the redhead’s face. “You were doing your job.”

“You were probably scared though,” Nicole says. 

“You’re here now. I’m here now. It’ll be okay,” Waverly assures her. She was scared. She was scared that she’d never see Nicole again. She spent time desperately trying to remember every word of their last conversation that they had. She wanted to remember exactly what Nicole looked like in that moment, what she smelled like, what she felt like.

“I just had to see you,” Nicole tells her with a smirk.

“So you got shot?” Waverly asks. She appreciates Nicole’s humor, but it is also okay to be serious from time to time.  

“Is that not the most romantic thing anyone’s ever done for you?” Nicole laughs.

Waverly laughs. Tears well in her eyes. She puts her hands on both sides of Nicole’s cheeks, kissing her face in various places. This is the first moment when Waverly realizes that Nicole is really here. The tears fall freely down her face, staining her cheeks. “I thought you were going to die,” Waverly admits. 

“Before I finished 20 questions? Never!” Nicole scoffs.  

“You’re so ridiculous,” Waverly laughs through her tears. “I’m trying to be serious, Nicole.”

“I know, I know,” Nicole’s tone changes to something more serious now. “I told you sometimes the job is dangerous,” she admits. “But I did fight like hell so I could see your face again.”

“Are you just trying to sweet talk me?” Waverly asks, pointing a warning finger toward Nicole. 

“Is it working?” Nicole asks quicky. “I’m kidding,” she stops herself. “No. I’m not trying to sweet talk you. I’m telling you the honest truth. You’re real with me, I’m real with you, remember?”

Waverly nods. She doesn’t speak, she just stares back at the redhead laying in front of her. 

“This isn’t really how I pictured my homecoming. I had plans to sweep you off your feet but I can barely even stand on my own feet right now,” Nicole huffs. 

“I don’t think you realize how easy it is for you to sweep me off my feet,” Waverly tells her. 

  
  
  
  


They spend the afternoon talking. Waverly doesn’t let go of Nicole’s hand very often. There’s a few times she’s asked to leave while they run more tests. Waverly finds herself feeling more exhausted as the day goes on. 

“You can go home and sleep,” Nicole tells her. Waverly is now sitting next to Nicole’s hospital bed, resting her head down next to the redhead’s hip.

“Nooo,” Waverly whines.

“Hey,” Nicole says. She slides her hand under Waverly’s chin, directing her head upward. “It’s okay.” 

“Maybe I’ll just go get some coffee,” Waverly yawns. Nicole smiles back at her. “You go in for X-rays soon, right?”

Nicole’s glances down at her empty wrist pretending to check her watch. Waverly laughs and gestures to the clock on the wall. 

“10 minutes,” Nicole tells her. 

“Okay, how about I go get some coffee and I’ll see you after your X-rays?” She asks. 

“Sounds good,” Nicole smiles back at her. Waverly kisses her hand and makes her way out of the room in search of something to keep herself awake. When she passes through the doors and into the waiting room, she finds Jeremy sitting alone on one of the couches. 

“Hey, Jer,” Waverly says. She’s cheery and smiling at the man. Jeremy looks up at her and waves a little. “What’s up?” 

“I’m on Nicole duty,” he tells her. 

“What does that mean?” Waverly asks, confused. She sits down in the seat next to him. 

“Nedley has us taking hospital shifts,” he explains. “To make sure there’s no changes and everything’s good, you know?” 

Waverly nods. “You could come into the room if you want,” she tells him. 

“I didn’t want to intrude,” Jeremy admits. Waverly feels bad that she’s been monopolizing all of Nicole’s time. She also misses her friend. She hasn’t had lunch with Jeremy in a couple of weeks. 

“I’m sorry,” Waverly apologizes. 

“Hey, don’t be sorry!” Jeremy says. He throws his arm around the brunette, pulling her into a side hug. 

“I miss you,” she admits. She leans further into the man’s embrace. She feels tears starting to form in her eyes but quickly blinks them away. She’s beginning to feel overwhelmed with everything happening. She doesn’t feel like she’s had time to actually process what has happened over the past few days. 

“Let’s get lunch sometime soon,” Jeremy suggests.

“Please,” Waverly smiles. 

“Where were you headed now?” He asks. 

“Coffee,” Waverly groans. Jeremy laughs. “It’s the worst here, but it’s something,” she laughs. 

“It really is though,” Jeremy laughs. She spends a few more moments talking to Jeremy before she stands up in search for coffee. When she gets the clear to return to Nicole’s room, she slowly pushes the door open, glancing in to see Nicole laying in bed staring at the ceiling. Her attention shifts when Waverly walks further into the room, a cup of lukewarm coffee in hand. 

“Well, good news, I get to keep my legs,” Nicole jokes, grinning back at Waverly. 

“I thought you were shot in the abdomen?” Waverly asks. She’s knows Nicole is joking. 

“Man, Earp, did you stop finding me funny?” Nicole groans.  

“Who said I ever found you funny?” Waverly asks. Her tone is serious, but she flashes a quick wink at the redhead. 

“Touché! Do I not have that sexy charm about me anymore?” Nicole asks. 

“I don’t know, something is a little different,” Waverly sets her coffee down on a table and makes her way to the side of the bed. 

“Is it this flattering hospital gown?” Nicole asks, gesturing to the light blue material that barely covers her body. 

“No, that’s definitely sexy,” Waverly grins. 

“I thought so,” Nicole laughs. “So are you gonna bust me out of here, or what?”  She asks, tone more serious again. 

“What?” Waverly laughs. 

“Listen, Earp, I don’t do sitting still,” Nicole explains. 

“Well if you want to get any better, I suggest you work on it,” Waverly boops her on the nose in a playful manner. 

“Man, you’re no fun!” Nicole groans. The sound of Wynonna's laughter comes through the door. 

“Welcome to life with Waverly Earp,” she says. 

“Wow, okay,” Waverly says defensively. “Should I just go then?” She teases as she turns toward the door. 

“No!” Nicole reaches out, grasping onto the material of Waverly’s shirt. Waverly laughs and brings herself back to Nicole’s side. 

“I’m just kidding,” Wynonna huffs. “Also, you two are gross. You sure you haven’t been married for years?” 

Waverly and Nicole look at each other and burst into laughter. 

“I mean, the heart eyes are vomit worthy,” Wynonna teases. 

“What are you doing here?” Waverly asks, trying to ignore her sister’s banter. 

“You think you’re the only Earp that misses this red headed beauty?” Wynonna huffs. “Can I hold your other hand, Haught stuff?” Nicole laughs and reaches her hand out to Wynonna. 

Waverly laughs. “Man, I don’t think I can compete in this love fest,” she says. 

“Hey, I just found her first!” Wynonna tells her as she takes Nicole’s hand in hers. Nicole laughs and peels her hand away after a few seconds. “Yeah, that’s weird,” Wynonna laughs, looking down at their hands. “So, how are you feeling, Haught?” 

“Like a had a bullet penetrate my abdomen,” Nicole states honestly. 

“Probably not the penetration you wanted, huh?” Wynonna winks at her sister.

“Okay, you two are ridiculous,” Waverly huffs. She knows they’re just trying to make light of the situation, but in reality, it’s not a light situation. Nicole could have been killed. She moves away from the bed and picks up her jacket from the chair in the corner. 

“Wait, where are you going?” Nicole asks. Waverly can sense a sudden sadness in her voice. 

“I just need some air,” Waverly says. Nicole nods and offers her a soft smile. Waverly smiles back and turns to leave.

The cold air hits her hard when she leaves the building. She feels like she’s spent so much time inside, she hasn’t had a breath of fresh air in far too long. It’s not that she doesn’t want to be there for Nicole, but it’s a lot for her right now too. 

She goes home for a while. It’s quiet there since Wynonna is still at the hospital. She walks into her bedroom. She feels like she hasn’t spent much time at her house lately. She hasn’t. 

She takes a long shower. It feels like the best shower of her life. Usually when she runs home to shower, she’s quickly turning around to return to the hospital. Right now she just needs space.    
  
  
  
  


By the time she is done, she notices she has a few missed text messages from Nicole. She’s apologetic even though Waverly is sure she doesn’t know why she’s apologizing. Nicole doesn’t have to apologize. Waverly just needed to take a minute for herself. She wants nothing more than to be there for Nicole, but she knows that’s something she has to do with a clear mind. 

She received a few more texts. One is an ‘I miss you.` One asks ‘are you coming back soon?’ Another just states, ‘please come back soon.’ 

She sets her phone back down on the edge of the sink and finds fresh clothes to put on. Standing in front of the mirror, she runs her hands through her hair. Her phone lights up again and she sighs, glancing down to see Nicole’s name light up on the screen again. 

She finishes getting dressed and picks her phone up, unlocking the screen to read Nicole’s message. Before she can read it, her phone is ringing. It doesn’t take her long to answer. 

“Hello?” She says into the phone. 

“I’m probably annoying you. I should leave you alone. I’m sorry,” Nicole’s voice sounds a little frantic. 

“Nicole, slow down,” Waverly says, calmly. 

“Sorry,” she says. 

“And stop apologizing,” Waverly adds. “I just needed to take a minute. I came home to shower. I’ll be back soon, okay?” 

She hears Nicole exhale loudly from the other side of the phone. Maybe she should have given her a little more of an explanation when she left that she planned to return. She was just feeling so overwhelmed in the moment, she did what she had to do. 

“Okay,” is all Nicole says. She’s unsure how to read the redhead’s tone over the phone. She had a much easier time reading her face to face she’s found. 

They say a quick goodbye and Waverly hangs up the phone. The message that Nicole has sent was still open on her phone. She reads it quickly. It says that she wants Waverly back so Wynonna would leave her alone. She laughs at this. She’s feeling a little less overwhelmed at the moment. 

She finishes getting ready and grabs something to eat quickly before making her way out of her house. It’s nice to eat food from home for once. The hospital doesn’t have much that she considers edible. 

When she makes her way back down the hallway, she can hear the voice of her sister echoing down the hall, through the half-opened door of Nicole’s room. She braces herself for snarky comments to be made about the fashion of her exit, but she’s pleasantly surprised when she’s greeted with a smile from both Nicole and Wynonna. 

Wynonna leaves a few minutes later and Nicole watches the door as it closes behind her until it clicks shut. 

“Are you feeling better?” The redhead asks. Waverly makes her way over to the side of the bed. The question was a nice alternative to the apology Waverly was expecting to come out of Nicole’s mouth. It is nice to have someone wonder how she was doing, even if the other person is laying in a hospital bed with a gunshot injury. 

Waverly wants to apologize for leaving so suddenly, but she doesn’t. Instead, she leans down and places a kiss on Nicole’s forehead. “Better, thank you,” she says in almost a whisper as she returns to an upright position. 

“I can imagine this is a lot on you, Waverly,” Nicole says softly. 

“It is,” she states. She’s not going to lie to her and pretend this isn’t a lot. It’s been a lot from the beginning. She made it 8 months only talking to her through handwritten notes. Now she’s back and she’s stuck in a hospital bed for who knows how long. None of it is ideal. But that doesn’t make it not worth it. “Just know if I leave it won’t be for long, okay?” 

Nicole nods. Her eyes fill with tears. This is the first time Waverly has ever seen Nicole cry. She’s been so strong and acts tough, but Waverly has seen through that facade since the beginning. There’s something about Nicole crying in front of her that makes her feelings grow stronger. 

She doesn’t speak. She just takes Nicole’s hands in her own. She feels the redhead squeezing tighter than normal. Waverly wants nothing more than to wrap her arms around the woman in front of her, but that’s something she’s been afraid to do since her surgery. For now she will hold her hands and sit with her for as long as she needs. 

Waverly pulls a chair close to the side of Nicole’s bed and takes a seat. Nicole reaches back out for her hand and she takes it quickly. Waverly rests her head on the bed next to Nicole. She finds comfort in their closeness, but can’t help but wish for more. 

  
  
  
  


Waverly feels a soft hand brushing the hair out of her face and she squints open her eyes to find that she had fallen asleep with her head next to Nicole. 

“Sorry,” she says in a tired voice. She yawns and sits up straighter in her chair. 

“Don’t be,” Nicole smiles. “I wish I could move over for you.” She gestures to the bed. “I’m not sure how much moving I can actually do.” 

“When do you finally get to get out of this bed?” Waverly asks. “You’re going to get bedsores,” she teases. 

Nicole groans. “I’m not sure if you realize how hard it is for me to sit still for this long.” 

“I remember you the night before you left,” Waverly tells her. “I could tell you don’t sit still for long,” she laughs.

“Ah, that was a good night,” Nicole remembers. “Let’s have another night like that.” She turns her head and smiles at Waverly, dimple showing. 

Waverly intertwines her fingers with the redhead’s. “Let’s have several.” 


	4. Beside You

Nicole spends another week and a half in the hospital. Every day, Waverly sees a little more of a change in her. On one hand, she’s moving around better and healing nicely, as the doctors say. That seems to raise her spirits. On the other hand, Waverly sees the frustration in Nicole. She doesn’t talk about it much, but Waverly can tell she just wants to be back to work. Every once in a while, she’ll mention her ‘future desk job,’ which Waverly knows that’s far from what Nicole wants to be doing. 

She tries to be supportive and let Nicole feel what she needs to feel. They haven’t spoken about anything between them yet. Waverly isn’t sure when a good time to bring it up is. She feels like whenever she finds the courage to start talking about something real, someone comes in to check in on Nicole. 

“So, I was thinking,” Waverly starts. Nicole turns her attention toward the brunette. Waverly chokes a little on her thoughts, words are not coming out anymore.

“What’s up?” Nicole asks. She reaches out a hand, gesturing for Waverly to join her. Nicole has been able to scoot over in the bed a little more, allowing Waverly to lay next to her. It’s far from comfortable, nothing like she sees in the movies, but it works for now. Waverly lays down next to the redhead and kisses her on the cheek. “What have you been thinking?” Nicole asks. 

“Nothing,” Waverly sighs. “It’s not important.”

“Anything you have to say is important to me,” Nicole assures her. Waverly smiles back at her. She always knows what to say and when to say it. The door swings open, breaking the pair from their moment. Waverly internally groans and climbs off the bed quickly, hoping the doctor didn’t notice. She feels Nicole reach out, grasping onto the material of her shirt for a moment, but she still moves out of the way and sits in a chair on the other side of the room. 

“So who’s ready to get out of here?” the doctor asks. His tone is cheerful and he’s smiling. Nicole looks back at Waverly. Waverly can tell that she’s concerned over the previous comment she made, but Waverly turns her attention to the doctor to hear what he has to say.

Nicole follows suit and shifts her attention to the doctor. “Huh, yeah,” Nicole says.

“Well, that doesn’t sound too enthusiastic,” the doctor jokes. “Apparently someone is getting pretty comfortable here,” he tease. 

“No,” Nicole laughs. “I’m ready to sleep in my own bed.” 

“Well, how does tomorrow sound?” he asks. 

“Sounds great,” Nicole says with a sigh of relief. 

“Alright,” the doctor says. “I’ll finish up some paperwork and we’ll get you out first thing in the morning!” Nicole smiles and thanks the doctor before he leaves. When the door clicks shut, she turns to Waverly and gestures for her to come back to her side. 

“So what did you want to talk about?” Nicole asks as she reaches out for Waverly’s hand. Waverly takes Nicole’s hand in her own and rubs it softly with her thumb. 

“It’s nothing, really,” Waverly says, avoiding the topic. “Are you excited to finally get out of here?” she asks, changing the subject. Nicole doesn’t push it, which Waverly appreciates. 

“So ready,” she sighs. “It’s been so long since I’ve slept in my own bed.”

“I’m sure it’ll be a lot more comfortable than this hospital bed,” Waverly says. 

“And quieter,” Nicole says. “I don’t know though, I might miss the constant noises and people coming in and out,” she jokes.

“I’m sure we can arrange to have the entire police department to come check on you,” Waverly teases. 

“Oh, please no,” Nicole groans. “They mean well, but don’t understand boundaries,” she laughs. “Especially not your sister.” 

“Trust me, I understand that one,” Waverly laughs. “How about I take you home and get you settled in then?” 

“That sounds perfect,” Nicole smiles back at the brunette. 

They continue to talk about Nicole being ready to leave and finally have real food that hasn’t been prepared in a hospital. Waverly pulls a chair up next to the side of the bed again and sits down, continuing to hold Nicole’s hand. She thinks about how she’s ready to finally get out of the hospital as well and see where things go with Nicole. She overthinks a little and becomes nervous, but talks herself into taking it one day at a time and letting things work out as they’re meant to. 

  
  
  
  
  


On the day Nicole is discharged, Waverly feels on edge about every move she makes. Nicole tells the officers that have all crowded into her hospital room that she doesn’t need their help getting home. Waverly assures them she will make sure she’s safe. 

“I can come with you guys,” Wynonna tells them. 

“Really, Wynonna, I got this,” Waverly assures her. 

“I’m sure Red appreciates it, babygirl, but you don’t have to do it all yourself,” Wynonna tells her. 

“Wynonna, look,” Waverly begins as she pulls her sister to the side. “We has this discussion yesterday, she doesn’t want a trail of officers with her today. She just wants to go home to where she hasn’t been since last summer. She needs space.” 

“And you following her around is giving her space?” Wynonna argues. 

Waverly glares briefly at her sister, trying to push the comment to the side. “This is what she asked for,” Waverly tells her. 

“Wynonna,” Nicole calls from across the room. Waverly turns to see the rest of the officers have left. Wynonna looks like a hurt puppy walking over to where Nicole is sitting on the edge of the bed. “Stop harassing your sister.” 

“She gets you all the time now!” Wynonna whines. “Remember when we used to be friends?” Waverly stands on the other side of the room still, observing the two women. 

“We are still friends!” Nicole laughs. “Right now I just want to go home and if I want Waverly to come with me, that’s my choice.” 

“Is it because she’s prettier than me?” Wynonna asks. 

“Only slightly,” Nicole teases. Waverly laughs as her sister dramatically whines and stomps her feet. 

“Fine,” she says. Waverly comes back to the other side of the room. “You win,” Wynonna huffs before heading for the door. 

“You know we haven’t seen the last of her, right?” Waverly laughs when her sister has fully left the room. 

“I hope not,” Nicole laughs. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


“Waves, I got this,” Nicole tells her as she takes the three steps up to her front door. Waverly has her arm supportively around the back of Nicole, guiding her up the steps. 

“I’m just making sure you’re safe,” Waverly tells her. 

“I know, thank you. You’re really sweet,” Nicole says with a smile. She reaches into her mailbox and pulls out a key to her house. 

“That’s where you keep your key?” Waverly asks. She’s shocked at how trusting Nicole is. Purgatory isn’t exactly an unsafe town, but she doesn’t feel like leaving a key out in the open is really a good idea. 

“Just the spare,” Nicole shrugs as she turns the door handle to her front door. Waverly shakes her head at the redhead and watches her carefully as she makes her way into the house. This is the first time Waverly has step foot in Nicole’s house. While she would usually take time to look around out of curiosity, she spends more time staring at Nicole. “You’re going to burn a hole through me,” Nicole teases. 

“Sorry, I’m just nervous,” Waverly admits. She tries to look away but finds herself watching Nicole again as she makes her way further into her house. 

“They wouldn’t have discharged me if they didn’t think I was ready,” Nicole assures her. 

“I know,” Waverly says softly. 

“I can’t live in a bubble,” Nicole teases. 

“I know, I know!” Waverly laughs. “I’ll try to relax a little more and if you want me to leave you alone, just say the word.”

“Don’t leave.” There’s a slight desperation in Nicole’s voice that catches Waverly’s attention. She turns to the redhead and without words, holds her hand out to her. Nicole takes her hand and slowly brings her body closer to the brunette’s. There’s something different about Nicole in this moment. No jokes. No sarcasm. Just vulnerability. Waverly gently places her left arm around Nicole’s back, careful not to press herself too hard against her body. Their bodies are as flush as they can be without putting too much pressure on Nicole’s wound. 

Waverly tilts her head up to see the redhead looking down at her. She feels her grasp at the material of Waverly’s shirt as if she’s afraid she’s going to pull away from her. Waverly places her hand on Nicole’s cheek, brushing it gently with her thumb. 

They haven’t really kissed since the night before Nicole left. There’s a sudden nervousness that comes over Waverly. What if they kiss and Nicole decides it’s not what she wants? What if Waverly decides that? What if the excitement of that night the clouded any actual judgement and they just don’t have chemistry after all? 

There’s a sudden break in her thoughts when she feels Nicole’s lips press against her own. Her lips are soft and warm. Waverly parts her own lips and quickly reciprocates the kiss. It deepens quickly and she feels Nicole’s body press further into her own. She is careful to lean more into the redhead’s right side in fear of hurting her. She feels Nicole’s tongue sweep past her lips and brush against her own. 

They kiss until someone needs air. Waverly isn’t sure who pulls away first, but when they do, their faces are still so close, she can feel Nicole catching her breath against her own lips. Nicole leans in and presses her forehead against Waverly’s and they stand in silence for a moment. 

The chemistry is still there. 

A smile grows across Waverly’s lips. She feels Nicole press a few more quick kisses against her mouth. 

“I’m not going anywhere,” Waverly breathes out, eyes closed, face close to Nicole’s. “I might get annoying checking in on you often, but I’m here.” 

Nicole smiles at that and leans her forehead back against the brunette’s. “I’m sure it’ll take a lot for you to annoy me,” she says.

“Challenge accepted,” Waverly jokes, causing Nicole to laugh. 

“Welcome to my house,” Nicole says after a few moments. She gestures around the room a little. 

“It’s about time you took me home with you,” Waverly grins back at the redhead before moving around the room. She takes that as an invitation to look around the room a little more. She notices a bookshelf, not of books, but dvds. “Impressive,” she says to Nicole as she scans a finger over the cases, reading the titles. 

“I like movies,” Nicole admits. 

“I see that,” Waverly laughs. “You have some good taste in movies, extra points.” She shoots Nicole a wink. 

“Do you want to watch one?” Nicole asks. She walks up behind Waverly and places her hand on the small of her back as Waverly turns to continue looking. She places her hand on a case and slides it from the shelf it is on. She holds it up for Nicole to see. “Harry Potter,” Nicole smiles. “Good choice.” She gestures for Waverly to take a seat on the couch while she puts the movie on. 

“You sure I’m not annoying you yet?” Waverly asks as she settles into the couch while Nicole pops the movie into the DVD player. “I can give you a little time alone, I know you’ve had people with you 24/7.” 

“Waves, you don’t have to keep asking that,” Nicole laughs. “Being alone is overrated. Besides, spending time with you was all I could think about while I was gone.”

“Really?” Waverly isn’t sure why she’s questioning it. She knows Nicole has made it pretty clear that she wants her around her but there’s still that small sliver of doubt in the back of her mind that’s telling her otherwise. 

“Really.” Nicole grabs the remote from the tv stand and turns back toward Waverly. She sits down in the corner of the couch, opposite of where Waverly is sitting. “Come here,” she gestures for Waverly to come closer. Waverly scoots closer to Nicole, conscious of her wound. Nicole lifts Waverly’s chin with her finger and leans in to kiss her. “You know, I have to admit, getting shot really sucks, but getting to see you now makes it so much better.”

Waverly feels her cheeks blush a little and leans her head into the redhead’s shoulder. “Okay, Romeo,” she jokes. “Play the movie.” Nicole laughs and lifts her arm to allow Waverly to lean in closer. Waverly takes the offer gladly. “I’m not hurting you, am I?” She asks. 

“No,” Nicole assures her. She pushes play on the remote and the movie starts. 

They quietly watch the movie for a while. Waverly is tired, but she fights to stay awake. She feels Nicole gently rubbing her arm with her thumb. It’s comforting. At one point, she lays her head further into Nicole’s chest, breathing in deep. She wants to take in the moment, enjoy what she can. She’s not sure how long she stays with her face buried into Nicole’s chest, but she becomes more aware when she hears the redhead speak. 

“Are you even watching the movie?” Nicole asks. 

“Yeah,” Waverly trails off, lifting her head. “I’ve seen it before!” She protests. 

“You’re adorable,” Nicole says with a smile. 

“I just really like having you around,” Waverly tells her. Nicole smiles again and leans down to lay a soft kiss on Waverly’s lips. The kiss quickly deepens, which is mostly Waverly’s fault. She pushes a little further into Nicole’s body, placing a hand on her cheek. Nicole winces in pain and Waverly jumps back away from her. “Oh, shit!” She yells. “I’m sorry!” 

“Hey,” Nicole says softly. She reaches out her hand for Waverly to come back toward her. “It’s okay, I’m fine.” 

Waverly is hesitant to lean back into the redhead. She stands up and moves in front of Nicole. She places both hands on either side of the redhead’s face and kisses her on the lips. “Is it time to change your bandages?” She asks. 

Nicole cringes, but nods. “Are you sure you’re okay with packing my wound? I know that’s probably really gross,” she admits. 

“Nicole, it’s fine,” Waverly says. She collects what she needs to clean and bandage her wound. “Lift your shirt up.” She gestures to the redhead. 

“This isn’t really how I pictured this,” Nicole laughs. She leans back a little further on the couch, pulling her shirt up to reveal the bandage on her abdomen. 

“What?” Waverly asks. 

“You telling me to lift my shirt up,” Nicole says. 

Waverly shakes her head, grinning at the redhead. “Maybe I volunteered so I can see you with your shirt off,” she smirks. 

“Well in that case…” Nicole lifts her shirt over her head, tossing it to the floor nearby. Waverly laughs and shakes her head. 

“Oh yeah, the doctor definitely hasn’t cleared you for that!” She tells her. 

“What a bummer,” Nicole huffs. “I finally get a chance to be with you and I can’t even be with you,” she pouts. “I mean, that’s if you’d want to,” She stutters a little. “I’d never make you do anything you’re not ready for. Sorry, I’m just making assumptions..”

“Nicole,” Waverly says, softly. “No worries. Your assumptions are correct.” She lays a soft kiss on the bare skin of Nicole’s stomach. 

Nicole’s eyes widen. “This is definitely not what you signed up for,” Nicole groans, throwing herself further back into the couch. 

“Sit still,” Waverly says, as she peels the bandage off. She cringes a little as the sight. 

“Gnarly, huh?” Nicole asks. 

“You’re beautiful,” Waverly says. Nicole smiles back at her. “Listen, I know you think this is a lot, and honestly, it is, but I’m here. I don’t plan on going anywhere. 

“I mean, I wouldn’t blame you if you did,” Nicole says. 

Waverly sighs and finishes cleaning the wound and changing the bandage. She helps the redhead put her shirt back on. She’s trying not to become frustrated with the woman. She knows she’s been through a lot. Actually, she doesn’t. She doesn’t know anything about what she’s been through. She knows she’s not supposed to know, so she hadn’t asked. “Do you want to talk about it?” She asks. 

Nicole still doesn’t look at her. She seems like she’s been avoiding eye contact with Waverly for a while. Waverly doesn’t want to press the issue too much. She knows it’s probably a lot on her and Waverly isn’t someone that’s always been there for her. She feels like they still have a lot to talk about but she’s not going to push that either. 

“Thank you for helping me,” Nicole says, finally looking back at the brunette.  “I’m sorry this is a lot to deal with. I don’t do well with being helpless.” 

“Hey, it’s okay,” Waverly tells her. “You’re here now, right?”

Nicole nods. “I never told you what my biggest fear was,” she says. 

“Do you want to tell me now?” Waverly asks. She sits back down on the couch, allowing Nicole to lay back on her lap. 

“It changes,” Nicole begins. “Before I met you, I didn’t think I was afraid of anything. I knew the job was dangerous, but I also figured when it was my time, it was my time. Then we hung out that night at my party. I felt something with you that scared the shit out of me,” she admits. 

“Yeah?” Waverly asks. Nicole nods. 

“I’ve never felt an instant connection like that before. That was the first time I felt afraid to lose anything in my life. When I was gone, I was afraid to be the reason you lost something,” Nicole admits. 

“And right now?” Waverly asks. 

“I’m afraid I’m going to disappoint you,” Nicole says. Waverly links her fingers between Nicole’s and lifts her hand up, laying a soft kiss on her skin.  

“I don’t think that’ll happen,” Waverly says. 

“You can’t know that right now, Waverly. And that’s okay,” Nicole says. “You don’t need to predict the future, I’ll just take the present for now if that’s what we have.”

“Deal,” Waverly says softly. “Just give me the chance and trust that I’ll do my best.”

“As long as you’re real with me and I’m real with you. I’m going to be completely honest. I know I’ll have my moments. I’m not going to lie, I’m kind of an internal mess right now,” Nicole says. Waverly looks down and sees the redhead close her eyes. She feels like none of this is easy for Nicole. She knows that Nicole is feeling helpless and most likely vulnerable. Waverly won’t try to understand exactly how that feels for Nicole, but she knows that she is feeling those emotions as well. 

“That’s understandable,” Waverly says. 

“Some days the Nicole from that night last June might be hard to find, but she’s not gone forever,” Nicole says as she opens her eyes and looks back up at the brunette. “She cares about you a whole lot more than she knows how to explain.” 

“So, just let me know what you need from me,” Waverly says. “I’m not going to force you to talk or do anything you aren’t willing to do.”

“I don’t need you to be anything but yourself,” Nicole says with a smile. 

“I can handle that,” Waverly smiles back at her. “Do you want to know my biggest fear? You told me yours.” 

“Yes,” Nicole says quickly. 

“I’m always afraid I won’t be enough,” Waverly admits. She takes in a deep breath and lets it out slowly. 

Nicole looks shocked for a moment. “I guess I’m going to have to do everything I can to show you that’s not true with me,” she tells her. 

“And what if it doesn’t work that easily? What if we had this crazy connection for a night, sent a bunch of letters for almost a year and realize we make a mistake?” Waverly starts to spit out questions faster than Nicole can follow. 

“First of all,” Nicole says, sitting up from Waverly’s lap. “Nothing about you is a mistake.” Waverly smiles, but tears have already filled her eyes. “This isn’t at all what it was supposed to be like, Waves. But hey, at least we’re getting the big challenges out of the way,” she shrugs with a laugh. 

“Optimistic,” Waverly laughs. 

“I try,” Nicole says. 

“It’s okay to be worried,” Waverly tells her. “To be open. You know, not joke about it all the time.” She’s not sure how Nicole is about to respond to this, but she doesn’t regret saying it. 

“I know,” Nicole says. She leans further back into the couch. “I’m sorry.” 

“I’m not asking for an apology, Nicole,” Waverly tells her. “Look, I know this thing is still pretty new between  us and I don’t expect you to pour your heart out to me, but I need to know it’s not a joke to you at the same time.” 

Nicole sighs. She reaches out for Waverly’s hand, takes it in her own and kisses it softly. “This isn’t a joke, Waverly.” Nicole speaks in a serious tone. She’s probably more serious now than Waverly has ever seen her. “I joke when I don’t know how to handle certain situations. I’ve pretty much done everything on my own for as long as I can remember. I’ve been burned several times so my wall is pretty strongly built. Letting someone else in is a big deal for me.” 

Waverly listens quietly. She wants to allow Nicole time to say what she needs to say, so she patiently waits to see if she continues. 

“But,” Nicole continues. “You’re the first person I’ve wanted to let in for a while now. You’ve already seen a side of me that not many people get to see. And when I stop to think about it, it’s scary,” she admits. “It’s like standing naked in a room full of people. All eyes are on me and there’s nowhere to hide.” 

Waverly stands up from her spot on the couch and sits down gently on Nicole’s legs, facing her. She tries not to put too much pressure on her stomach. “It’s just you and me, okay?” Waverly says. She softly cups Nicole’s face with her hands and pulls her into a kiss. 

“Okay,” Nicole closes her eyes and breathes out as she speaks. They sit like this for a moment before Nicole opens her eyes again. “Will you stay here tonight?” She asks. 

Waverly nods. “Anything you need.” 

“I just need you,” Nicole tells her. “I swear I’m not normally this clingy,” she continues. “The thought of being alone right now is a lot for me.” 

Waverly stands up from Nicole’s lap and holds out her hand to the redhead. Nicole gladly takes her hand and stands up from the couch. She leads the redhead toward her bedroom. Nicole digs through her dresser, handing Waverly clothes to change into. She excuses herself to the bathroom before changing into the clothes. There’s something in her that’s nervous to spend the night with Nicole. She’s spent a couple of nights in the hospital when she was able to, but in the chair near the bed. She hasn’t slept next to her, or been under blankets with her, or even as intimately close as you can be to a person in a bed without being physically intimate. 

As she peels off her clothes from the day and slides on the clothes Nicole let her borrow, she questions whether or not she should keep her bra on. Are they at the level where she can be that vulnerable around the redhead? Is that inappropriate for someone who she has yet to define a relationship with? Is she overthinking this too much?

She knows the answer to the last question is ‘yes,’ but that doesn’t stop her from continuing to question her every move. She decides to lose the bra and slip the baggy t-shirt over her body. Nicole probably won’t even notice. After giving herself a quick once over in the mirror, the brunette returns to Nicole’s bedroom to find that Nicole has already made herself comfortable in the bed. She gestures for Waverly to join her, lifting the blanket so she can climb in. She curls up next to the redhead in the bed.

“Is everything okay?” Nicole asks. Waverly is sure she can read her like a book right now. “You seem nervous.” 

“I am a little,” Waverly admits. Nicole’s turns on her side slightly, pulling Waverly closer to her. 

“I got you,” Nicole says. Waverly immediately feels more relaxed in her arms. 

“I’ve just thought about this moment so often that I’m shocked it’s finally here,” Waverly explains. 

“You’ve been thinking about being in bed with me?” Nicole smirks. Waverly gives her a warning look. “I’m just kidding!” She laughs. “Hey, I get it.” Her tone is softer now. “I know this is all a little weird. Usually I’d take you on a few dates before we’re cuddling in my bed with you wearing my clothes.” She laughs softly causing Waverly to do the same. 

“When you’re better you can take me on those dates,” Waverly grins back at the redhead. 

“Deal,” Nicole says. Waverly feels Nicole tighten her arms around her a little more. She lets out a breath she didn’t know she was holding and they spend the next hour talking quietly until the room falls quiet.

  
  
  
  
  
  


“Hey Nicole, are you awake?” Waverly whispers into the darkness that has taken over the room. Her eyes just barely adjust so she can at least make out the outline of the redhead that is laying next to her. 

“No,” Nicole whispers back at her. Waverly breaks out into laughter, breaking the silence of the room. “What’s up?” Nicole asks. 

“You told me you’re an only child, but what about your parents?” Waverly asks. 

“Is this really what you’re laying in bed thinking about right now?” Nicole asks, she laughs a little.

“I have random thoughts sometimes,” Waverly tells her. She shrugs, but she’s positive Nicole can’t see her. 

Nicole sighs. “They’re around,” she says. 

“They just didn’t even come to see you in the hospital,” Waverly says. 

“They didn’t know,” Nicole tells her. 

“What, really?” Waverly is surprised by this. She knows that if it were her, her family would be there in a heartbeat. Those who are left that is. 

“It’s complicated,” Nicole says. Waverly can hear an underlying tone of frustration in the redhead’s voice. She’s not sure if it’s toward her or the situation. “And not something I usually talk about.”

“I’m sorry, Nicole,” Waverly says. “I wasn’t trying to push you or pry.”

“I know. Can that be a talk for another time?” Nicole asks. “I swear I’m not avoiding it, it’s just too much for today.” 

“Yeah,” Waverly says. “When you’re ready.” She reaches out and softly rubs Nicole’s arm with her hand. She feels Nicole scoot her body closer to her. Waverly takes this opportunity to wrap her arm around the redhead’s body, careful of her wounded abdomen. She doesn’t say anything else. The room falls quiet again. The only sound Waverly can hear is the sound of Nicole breathing. The sound starts to fade into soft snoring when Nicole falls asleep. 

Despite the physical closeness between her and Nicole, Waverly can’t help but feel a distance between the two of them. She tries not to think too much into it or take it too personally. She knows they’re still in the process of getting to know each other and while the circumstances are less than perfect, she feels like maybe this could be the start of something great. 

  
  
  
  
  


Waverly wakes up the next morning to the sound of Nicole snoring in her ear. She would usually be annoyed at that, but there some something that she found endearing. She feels that it’s most likely because it’s a sign that the redhead is still breathing. Her back is to Nicole, she shifts slowly attempting not to wake her. When she turns enough to face her, she’s unable to stop herself from laying a soft kiss on Nicole’s cheek. 

“Man, Earp, you didn’t tell me you snore,” Nicole’s groggy voice says, eyes still closed. 

Waverly looks at her. She’s now grinning. “Wow, I was just thinking how cute you were, even when you are snoring,” she huffs. 

Nicole squints her eyes a little. “You always gotta be the sweet one,” she laughs. 

Waverly leans in and kisses her cheek again. Nicole’s eyes finally open. “How did you sleep?” the brunette asks. 

“Honestly, like shit. But thank you for staying. I think it would have been worse without you,” Nicole smiles back at Waverly. She reaches up and pulls at the brunette’s shirt a little, lowering her into a kiss. “Yeah, this definitely makes it better,” she says in between kisses. 

Waverly smiles into the kiss. “I could get used to this,” she says. They continue to kiss for a few moments. Waverly stops herself when she feels herself deepening the kiss. Nicole’s tongue brushes against her own and she quickly pulls away. 

“Is everything okay?” Nicole asks.

Waverly nods. “Yeah, sorry,” she says. “I didn’t want to get too carried away.” She's slightly embarrassed and feels her cheeks blushing. 

“That might have been my fault,” Nicole admits. 

“Oh, no,” Waverly tells her. “It’s definitely not a one way thing,” she laughs. “It’s just that I like you so much.” Waverly groans and drops onto the bed on her back, covering her face with her hands.

Nicole laughs. “Waves.” She pulls at the brunette’s hands, trying to uncover her face. “I like you too,” she whispers into Waverly’s ear. Waverly slowly uncovers her face with her hands, peeking between her fingers first. “We can take our time on things. I’m not going anywhere.” 

“You say that, but you just got shot!” Waverly spits the words out faster than she realizes what she’s saying. She catches a drop in Nicole’s expression and feels bad for what she said. “Nicole, I-”

“It’s okay,” Nicole assures her. “You’re right. My job is dangerous, I know that. But I just mean I don’t plan on going anywhere from us. I want to see where this is going.” 

“I know, I’m sorry,” Waverly says. “I want that too. It’s just that I thought it was hard with my sister being an Officer, and now my,” she stops herself. “You’re one too. Double the worry,” she laughs a little. 

“Well, all you’ll have to worry about for a while is my ass falling asleep in the desk chair, Nicole sighs. Waverly gives her a sympathetic look. 

“I’m sure you’ll be back before you know it,” she encourages her. Nicole gives her a soft smile and kisses her on the cheek. 

“Thank you,” Nicole says. 

“For what?” Waverly asks. 

“Existing.” 

“Well, I didn’t do much work in in that department,” Waverly teases.

“Thanks for being here,” Nicole tells her. “I’m not sure if I can ever explain how much it means to me.”

Waverly doesn’t speak. She just lifts herself back off of the bed and leans in toward the redhead. Leaning slowly into Nicole, she can feel her breath on her own lips. When their lips connect, the kiss is slow but full of passion. She’s not sure how long they continue to kiss for but for the time being, she loses herself in the redhead in front of her.


	5. Good Things Fall Apart

“So you’ve had to listen to my snoring for almost a week now, aren’t you getting sick of it yet?” Nicole asks as she rolls over toward Waverly in bed. 

Waverly giggles and kisses Nicole on the nose. “Trust me, I’d rather be here than have to listen to Wynonna snoring from down the hall,” she says. “Besides, I get to do this in the morning when I’m with you,” she says as she pulls her in for a kiss. The pair continue to kiss for a moment, Waverly slides her hand across Nicole’s cheek and behind her head. 

“Mm, yes,” Nicole smiles, kissing Waverly once more on the lips. “Speaking of Wynonna, I may have forgotten-”

She’s cut off by the bedroom door swinging open and Wynonna appearing in the doorway. “You better have clothes on, babygirl, because I’m not ready to see that,” Wynonna says, pretending to cover her face.

“Wynonna is coming over,” Nicole tells Waverly, as if she doesn’t already know this. 

“Did somebody order a sponge bath?” Wynonna grins as she enters the room. She plops down at the end of the bed. 

“Wynonna,” Waverly warns. She groans and lays back on the bed. She feels Nicole reach her hand out for hers. Waverly takes Nicole’s hand in her own. 

“Sorry, I forgot they wanted me to come down to the station today,” Nicole explains to Waverly. 

“I’m the lucky one who’s been assigned to take her,” Wynonna tells her. 

“You assigned yourself, Wynonna,” Nicole laughs. 

“Well, either way, let’s get your ass out of bed!” Wynonna taps Nicole on the leg above the blankets. Nicole groans and rolls away from Wynonna and toward Waverly. 

“Here,” Waverly says, lifting the blankets. Wynonna stands up from the bed and makes her way around to help Nicole. 

“I got it guys,” Nicole tells them. Neither of them really pick up on her frustration and continue to try to help. 

“You sure? I can help,” Waverly tells her as she makes her way around to the other side of the bed next to her sister.

“I’m sure!” Nicole huffs. She stands up quickly from the bed and quickly moves into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. 

“Well, she’s a lovely morning person,” Wynonna huffs. She sits back down on the bed to wait for Nicole. 

“Shut up, Wynonna,” Waverly huffs as she makes her way out of the bedroom toward the bathroom.  

“Nicole,” Waverly knocks lightly on the door. Nicole opens the door a crack and Waverly can see her face peering out. “I need to change your bandage,” Waverly tells her.

“We can do it later, I’m going to be late,” Nicole says. She starts to shut the bathroom door again. 

Waverly pushes the door before it can close all the way. “You don’t want to go to work with an old bandage, I can do it quickly,” she assures her. 

“Waverly,” Nicole says sternly. Waverly can sense her frustration. She’s confused by the sudden change in Nicole’s behavior, but doesn’t want to question her and risk upsetting her even more. “Please,” she says as she shuts the bathroom door. Waverly doesn’t stop her this time. 

“Fine,” Waverly says as she turns back toward the bedroom. She grabs a sweatshirt from Nicole’s closet and slides it over her head. Wynonna is now watching her as she moves around the room. Waverly is sure her sister can tell she’s upset, but she doesn’t speak. 

“Babygirl, why don’t you go home and shower?” Wynonna asks. It’s more of a command than a suggestion. “I can take it from here.”

“No, it’s okay,” Waverly says. She glances back at the closed bathroom door in the hallway. 

“Waves-” Wynonna warns. 

“I’m fine!” Waverly snaps at her sister. 

“You and I both know I know you better than that,” Wynonna tells her. “It’s okay to take a break, babygirl. You need to take care of yourself too.” 

“She’s just frustrated,” Waverly says. “She has her ups and downs. She’s going through a lot,” she continues to defend the redhead. 

“But she’s not going to treat you like shit because she’s frustrated. You didn’t shoot her,” Wynonna tells her. Waverly sighs. She knows Wynonna is right. She’s been too busy trying to help Nicole and make sure that she is okay that she hasn’t thought about what she needs or wants. Maybe taking some time to herself would be good for both of them at this point. She doesn’t want to push Nicole to upset her any further.

“Just don’t be too hard on her,” Waverly pleads. 

“You’ll get her back in one piece,” Wynonna assures her.

Waverly sighs. “Fine.” She looks back at the bathroom door once more. It’s still closed and doesn’t seem to be opening any time soon. Waverly collects a few of her things that she has at Nicole’s and says goodbye to her sister before heading out the door. 

  
  
  


_________

  
  
  


“Where did Waverly go?” Nicole asks as she exits the bathroom. Wynonna is still sitting on the edge of her bed.  

“Home,” Wynonna says plainly. Nicole looks confused as she makes her way back into her bedroom. She scans her closet for a sweatshirt to throw on. She’s just going down to the station to go over her next assignments, so she decides against putting on her uniform.

“Why?” she asks as she carefully slides the sweatshirt over her head. 

“I sent her home,” Wynonna tells her as she stands up from the bed. Nicole immediately shoots her a look. Wynonna has always been protective of Nicole, but not nearly as protective as she is of her younger sister. 

“Wynonna-” Nicole warns. She understands that the woman is protective of her sister, but Nicole doesn’t feel that Wynonna needs to get involved in her relationship with the younger Earp. 

“Listen, Haught,” Wynonna starts.  

“I’m not in the mood, Wynonna,” Nicole huffs. She turns to leave the bedroom. She makes her way down the stairs and into her living room. Grabbing her shoes, she sits down on the couch to put them on. 

“I don’t give a shit!” Wynonna calls after her as she descends down the stairs as well. 

“I see that,” Nicole says. She doesn’t look up at all. 

“Listen, Haught,” Wynonna repeats as she enters the living room. “You can be hurt. You can be pissed. But one thing you can’t be, is an asshole to my sister for trying to help.” Nicole slowly looks up at the brunette when the words come out of Wynonna’s mouth. She lets out a sigh before she speaks.

“I’m sorry, Wynonna,” she finally says. Her tone is soft and defeated.

“I don’t think I’m the one that needs the apology,” Wynonna tells her. 

“You’re right,” Nicole sighs. 

“When am I not?” Wynonna jokes. Nicole glares back at her. “Waverly is a good person, Nicole.”

“You called me Nicole.”

“That’s how you know I’m serious,” Wynonna tells her. Nicole nods and continues listening. “She’s the best person. And you’re a good person. And honestly, there’s not really anyone in this world that I think is better for my sister, so you need to get it together.”

“Okay, okay,” Nicole sighs. “I’ll fix it.”

“You better,” Wynonna warns. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Nicole says. “Now let’s go before we’re late.”

  
  
  


_________

  
  
  
  


Waverly spends the rest of the day at her house. She’s able to relax a little, although her mind keeps drifting to Nicole, wondering if she’s okay. She checks her phone a few times and sees that the redhead hasn’t tried to contact her. She texts her sister a few times, asking if everything is okay. She knows Wynonna has her best interests in mind, but she is also a little worried about what she might be saying to Nicole. 

That night she has a shift at Shorty’s. She’s almost done with her shift when the door swings open and Nicole walks in. Waverly stops and stares for a moment as the redhead walks up to the bar. She’s still frustrated with the way Nicole treated her that morning, but she misses her at the same time. She stops staring before Nicole actually makes it to the bar. Waverly quickly tries to turn to wipe down the bar with a cloth. 

“Hey there, beautiful,” Nicole says as she leans on the bar a little. 

“Hey,” Waverly says quickly. She briefly looks up to see Nicole, then looks back at what she’s doing. 

“When’s your shift over?” Nicole asks. 

“Actually soon, Shorty is letting me get away without closing tonight,” Waverly tells her. 

“Lucky for me,” Nicole grins. Waverly doesn’t have much of a reaction. She continues wiping down the bar before setting the cloth to the side. “Look, I was hoping you’d come over again tonight,” Nicole continues. Waverly pauses and now takes a minute to make eye contact with the redhead. “Hey, I know you’re probably mad at me, and you have every right to be,” Nicole says. 

“I’m not mad at you, Nicole. I’m just frustrated with you,” Waverly corrects her. 

“Well, I was an asshole and you don’t deserve that. Let me make it up to you?” she asks. She smiles at Waverly. The brunette can hardly resist the dimple that is now appearing on Nicole’s cheek. 

She gives the redhead a look. She is unsure if she has the energy right now to fight about anything. She’s sympathetic, but tired. “I’m just really tired, Nicole.”

“We can just relax,” Nicole continues. “The ball is in your court, whatever you want to do.” Waverly pauses for another moment. Part of her wants to forgive Nicole right away. She wants to make the excuse that she is going through a lot right now. But on the other side, she’s still frustrated about the redhead for taking her emotions out on her.

“Give me thirty minutes?” she asks. Nicole nods and takes a seat at the bar. 

 

 

When Waverly’s shift ends, the pair makes their way back to Nicole’s house. Nicole opens the front door and holds it open for the brunette. Waverly thanks her and enters the house. They make their way into the living room.

“Do you want anything to drink?” Nicole asks. Waverly shakes her head and turns to take a seat. 

“How was work?” Waverly asks as she settles in on the couch in the living room.  

“It was okay,” Nicole says. “Weird, it’s been a while. I got to see my desk,” she laughs a little. Waverly nods, but doesn’t laugh like Nicole did. She feels like she’s probably giving off a frustrated vibe and she knows Nicole can see it. The redhead takes a seat next to Waverly on the couch.

“Hey,” Nicole says softly. “Waves.” She places a finger under Waverly’s chin and lifts it to make eye contact with her. “I’m sorry.” 

Waverly sighs. Part of her is still frustrated with the woman next to her. But the other part wants to wrap her arms around her and kiss her. “I know,” she says. She leans in, resting her forehead against Nicole’s. 

“Listen, I just hate feeling helpless. I got a little overwhelmed and that’s no excuse and no reason to snap at you,” Nicole explains. “You’ve been great at putting up with all of this when you don’t have to.” 

“Stop,” Waverly says. It came out of her mouth a little louder than she expected. She moves away from Nicole a little and leans back against the back of the couch. “Stop telling me I don’t have to stick around or I don’t have to be here. I get that, okay? But I want to be here. I’ve wanted to be with you since last June, Nicole. I stayed here and thought about you every day, not because I felt obligated to, because I wanted to,” she tells her. “I want you, Nicole. I want you on your good days and your bad ones.”

“Question 20,” Nicole says softly. She stands up from the couch and moves her body in from of Waverly. She slowly kneels down on the floor in front of the brunette on the floor. Waverly watches, concerned at first. 

“You’re not on one knee right now, are you?” Waverly asks, looking down at the ground. 

“Two knees,” Nicole laughs. She briefly looks down toward the ground before looking back up at Waverly. She takes Waverly’s hands in her own.

“Okay, What’s question 20?” Waverly asks.

“Will you be my girlfriend?” Nicole asks. Waverly smiles down at the redhead in front of her. “I know things have been a little crazy we’ve moved a little too quickly, but I want this with you. I want all of this. The good, the bad. I want you.”

Waverly’s smile grows bigger. She leans in toward the redhead, placing her hands on either side of her face. She leans in a little further until her lips are pressed against Nicole’s. She feels Nicole part her lips slightly as she kisses her back. The kiss quickly deepens and Waverly feels Nicole lift from her knees. “Be careful,” Waverly says as she pulls away slightly. 

“I’m okay,” Nicole assures her. Waverly stands up from the couch and gestures from Nicole to stand up as well. Nicole stands and Waverly takes her hand, leading her upstairs to the bedroom.

“So, is that a yes?” Nicole asks as they enter her bedroom together. Waverly giggles and nods before pulling the redhead back in for another kiss. 

“I just didn’t want you to put pressure on your stomach in the position we were in,” Waverly explains. 

“You just wanted to get me into bed,” Nicole says with a grin. Wavrly shakes her head at the redhead, still smiling back at her. She gently pushes her on the shoulders and Nicole pretends to fall backwards, sitting down on the edge of the bed. She pulls Waverly in closer to her. 

“I’ve already had you in bed,” Waverly grins back at the redhead. She moves closer to Nicole and feels the redhead’s arms wrap around the back of her legs. 

“Yeah, you’ve had me snoring in your ear,” Nicole laughs.

“Well,” Waverly begins. She leans down toward Nicole’s ear, laying a kiss on her neck just below her ear. Nicole takes a sharp breath in. “I don’t mind,” she whispers in the redhead’s ear, sending a shiver down her spine. Nicole groans out loud, throwing her head back a little further. Waverly takes this as an opportunity to kiss the exposed skin down her neck.

“Babe,” Nicole says in almost a whisper.

“Sorry,” Waverly says, sheepishly. 

“Don’t be,” Nicole smiles up at the brunette. “Come here.” She slides back into the bed, lifting the blanket to invite Waverly in. Waverly quickly comes around the side of the bed to join Nicole. Waverly moves her body as close as she can to Nicole’s. “I’ll heal eventually,” Nicole sighs. 

“I’ll try not to get you going until then,” Waverly says with a wink. 

“But you make comments like that,” Nicole huffs. 

“I can’t help it,” Waverly whines. Nicole laughs and leans in for another kiss. The kiss deepens and Waverly feels Nicole slide her hand to the back of her head, tangling her fingers in her hair. She parts her lips slightly, feeling Nicole’s tongue glide across hers. Waverly moans into Nicole’s mouth as she feels her hand move down her body, sliding to her chest. “Nicole,” Waverly says in a breathy tone, slightly warning her. Nicole’s hand continues to wander across Waverly’s body, sliding briefly across her waistband. “Baby,” Waverly breathes. 

“Yeah?” Nicole asks in between kisses, hands still roaming. 

“Maybe we should throw some ice on it,” Waverly laughs. Nicole groans and rolls onto her back. “You’re still not cleared for physical activity.”

“Well, I really just can’t do anything crazy like heavy lifting or anything that will strain my abdomen,” Nicole tells her. “So nothing says I can’t touch you, unless you say it, then I respect that,” she laughs, removing her hands from Waverly’s body and holding them out in front of her. Waverly laughs. 

“It’s not that I don’t want you to,” Waverly tells her. “Trust me, I do. But I’m also content waiting until you’re fully recovered.”

“Are you always this sweet?” Nicole asks. “You know it only makes me want you more, right?” Nicole places her hand on Waverly’s hip.

“I’m serious, Nicole!” Waverly laughs. “I’m fine just being with you. We can lay together and cuddle, we can make out,” she kisses her quickly on the lips. “And when the time comes, so can we,” she says with a wink. Nicole groans again, dramatically, causing Waverly to laugh. 

“Fine,” Nicole whines. 

They spend the rest of the night in each other’s arms, making out and talking. Waverly feels like she’s seeing more of the Nicole she saw the first night they spent together and she’s enjoying it. In the back of her mind, she tries not to forget that Nicole is still dealing with a lot of emotions and she is careful not to push her too hard. 

  
  
  


________________

  
  
  
  


The next couple of weeks fly by. The pair continue to spend a lot of time together when they can. Nicole is back at work a few days a week. She doesn’t normally make it full days, but she pushes herself to try. Waverly picks up more shifts at Shorty’s again, trying to get back into normalcy again. 

It’s almost the end of the week and Nicole tells Waverly she wants to make her dinner at her place that night. By that she means she’s calling for take out. Waverly appreciates it anyway. 

“So how do you feel being back at work officially?” Waverly asks before she takes a bite of food. She looks up at Nicole, who is slowly picking at the food in front of her with her fork. “Nicole,” she says softly. She reaches across the table to take Nicole’s hand in her own. 

“I’m sorry,” Nicole says. “It’s weird,” she admits. “I feel like everyone is walking on eggshells around me, and it sucks. I get it, but I’m not fragile.” She takes a fork full of food and puts it in her mouth. 

“I’m sure they don’t think you’re fragile,” Waverly tells her. 

“It’s already hard to prove myself with all the men, you know? And here I am getting shot,” Nicole huffs. 

“Baby,” Waverly says, softly. “From what my sister tells me, half of those men are afraid of you.” 

“They’re not afraid of me,” Nicole huffs. 

“They know you’d be able to take any of their jobs someday,” Waverly tells her. She takes a sip of water from the glass in front of her. 

“Wynonna is crazy,” Nicole laughs. 

“Maybe you’re just modest,” Waverly suggests, pointing her finger toward Nicole. 

“Maybe you’re biased,” Nicole argues back. She points a finger back toward the brunette. Waverly laughs. “So tomorrow, do you have any plans?” Nicole asks, changing the subject.

“I don’t think so, why?” Waverly asks. 

“I’d like to finally take you out on a date,” Nicole tells her. 

“Are you sure?” Waverly asks. “You’re feeling okay?” 

“Babe, it’s still healing but it’s going to be healing for a long time. But I feel fine. I’ve been moving around  better everyday,” Nicole argues. 

“I know you have,” Waverly tells her. 

“I don’t want to stop trying to live a normal life because of that,” Nicole says. “Besides, I haven’t taken my girlfriend out on a date yet and I’d really like to.”

“She’d really like you to also,” Waverly says with a smile.

“It’s settled then,” Nicole smiles. “Don’t make any plans,” she shoots Waverly a wink from across the table. 

  
  


 

_________  
  
  
  


 

“So where are you taking me tomorrow?” Waverly asks. They’re laying in bed together. She’s propped up on her elbow, draping her other arm across Nicole. 

“Nope,” Nicole says as she turns her head towards the brunette. 

“Come on!” Waverly whines. 

“It’s a surprise,” Nicole tells her. 

“I hate surprises!” Waverly tells her. 

“Do you really?” Nicole asks. 

“No,” Waverly huffs. “But I’m a planner, I like to know where we’re going.” 

“You’ll find out tomorrow!” Nicole laughs. 

“Can’t you just tell me tonight?” Waverly asks again. She starts placing soft kisses down Nicole’s neck. Nicole takes a sharp breath in. 

“Baby,” Nicole breathes. 

“What?” Waverly asks as she lifts herself a little more to hover over Nicole and continues placing kisses on the redhead’s neck. 

“You know what,” Nicole groans. She turns her head to catch Waverly’s lips with her own. The brunette immediately feels Nicole’s tongue brush against her own. The kiss is more intense than normal. They don’t talk about it often, but Waverly has been feeling it becoming harder and harder to sustain from moving any further with Nicole. Most nights they end up they continue like this until one of them can’t take it any further and stops the other one. 

“Do you want me to stop?” Waverly asks as she pulls away a little. 

“No,” Nicole says. She moves her hand around the back of Waverly, fingers brushing lightly against her skin under her shirt. At the feeling of Nicole’s hands on her skin, Waverly moves her lips back to the redhead’s neck, lightly brushing her tongue against her skin as she continues to kiss her. She hears Nicole let out a throaty moan as she feels the redhead’s hands slide up her body, under her shirt. Her fingers slide up her side, it tickles and she sucks a deep breath in. She feels Nicole’s thumb brush over her already hard nipple over her bra. She bites down softly on her neck, trying not to leave too much of a mark. 

“Babe,” Waverly moans. Nicole slides her hand further down Waverly’s body, pressing her fingers between her legs over her pants. Waverly sucks in a sharp breath, moaning into the redhead’s ear. “Please,” she breathes. Nicole brings her hand to the waistband of Waverly’s pants and starts to slide her hand underneath the material. Waverly lifts her hips to give Nicole more access.

Her mind goes foggy when she feels the redhead slide her fingers into the wetness between her legs. Her lips find Nicole’s again, tongue darting into her mouth. Nicole starts slowly rubbing circles, causing Waverly to push her hips into the movement. 

Waverly lets out another moan, this time into Nicole’s mouth as they continue to kiss. This fuels Nicole to push two fingers inside Waverly and speed up her movements, pushing the brunette closer to the edge. Her hips move at a rhythm with the Nicole’s hand. “I’m so close,” she whispers in the redhead’s ear before burying her face into her neck. 

“Mm,” Nicole moans, continuing the rhythm with her hand. She continues until Waverly slows her hips. Nicole slowly pulls her fingers out and continues to rub small circles until Waverly reaches down, steadying her hand when she feels too sensitive for Nicole to continue. She brings her head up and kisses the redhead again. 

They kiss for a moment before Waverly drops her body back down onto the bed next to Nicole. “Damn,” Waverly sighs. Nicole laughs, turning slightly to face her on the bed. 

“So why have we not done that before?” Nicole laughs. 

“Because it’s not fair to you,” Waverly says. She gives her a sympathetic look, thinking about how bad she wants to reciprocate the act. 

“Baby, it’s fine,” Nicole assures her. “Trust me,” she grins at the brunette. “Damn.” 

“What?” Waverly asks.

“You’re really sexy,” Nicole says with a smile. She puts her hand on Waverly’s hip, brushing her skin lightly with her thumb. Waverly feels her cheeks blushing as she lays her head down on Nicole’s shoulder. “Really though, Waves. Please don’t feel bad,” Nicole tells her. “This probably sounds dumb, but it makes me feel like I’m not totally helpless.” 

“That’s not dumb, Nicole,” Waverly tells her. She lifts her head a little to see the redhead’s face a little more. “Baby steps, but you’re getting there,” she smiles. 

“Thank you,” Nicole says as she kisses Waverly on the forehead. “I’m not sure you know how much of a mess I’d be if I didn’t have you.” 

“Well hopefully we don’t have to find out,” Waverly tells her. 

  
  
  
  


_________

  
  
  
  


It doesn’t take long for the pair to fall asleep that night. Waverly is still wrapped around Nicole’s side, resting her arm across her torso. At some point throughout the night, Waverly rolls to the other side of the bed with Nicole sleeping behind her. She’s not sure how long she has been sleeping before she feels Nicole start to flail in her sleep. She jolts awake. 

“Nicole?” Waverly says, she feels Nicole continue to move around a lot next to her. She rubs her eyes to get them to adjust as she sees the redhead sit up in bed next to her. “Are you okay?” 

“What?” Nicole asks. She seems like she might still be partially asleep. Waverly reaches her hand out toward the redhead and feels heat radiating off of her body. 

“You’re really warm,” Waverly says. She stands up from the bed and moves around to the other side. She holds her hand up to Nicole’s head, feeling the heat on her forehead. She becomes nervous and switches a light on in the room. Nicole’s face is flush and she’s sweating. “Nicole,” Waverly repeats. Nicole still hasn’t really responded. She rubs her face a little and stands up from the bed. Waverly reaches out her hands to help her stabilize herself.

“I’m okay,” Nicole says. “I have to use the bathroom.” She moves away from Waverly, toward the bathroom. Waverly follows closely behind. At this point she’s concerned. Nicole leaves the door cracked and stands in front of the bathroom sink. Waverly can see her splash water onto her face. She pushes the door open a little further. 

“Babe,” she says, softly. Nicole turns to her and winces in pain. She grabs her stomach with her hand. “Nicole, what’s wrong?” She's more concerned now. 

“My wound hurts,” she tells her. She lifts her shirt a little bit Waverly can’t see with the bandage covering it. 

“I’m going to call an ambulance,” Waverly tells her. There’s panic in her voice. 

“No please don’t, I’m fine,” Nicole begs her. 

“You’re not fine. You’re burning up and you’re in pain,” Waverly reiterates to her. 

“It’s probably nothing,” Nicole assures her. She splashed water on her face again. “I was just having a bad dream. I feel better now,” Nicole appears to be more awake but Waverly still doesn’t trust that everything is fine. 

“It could be serious,” Waverly tells her. “You could have an infection. Did you run out of medication?” She asks. 

“I haven’t been taking it,” Nicole admits. Waverly stops and stares back at the redhead. She’s hoping she didn’t hear her correctly. 

“What?” She asks. 

“It was getting better,” Nicole tells her. “I thought it was okay.” 

“So you just stopped?” Waverly asks. “Did you talk to the doctor about that?” 

“I don’t need to be dependent on medication, Waverly,” Nicole says, more sternly this time. 

“It’s an antibiotic Nicole, not heroin!” Waverly yells. She rubs her face in frustration. 

“I know, I just thought…” Nicole tries to defend herself. 

“You didn’t think!” Waverly cuts her off. 

“Waves,” Nicole says, softly. She tries to reach out for Waverly but the brunette pulls away. 

“Let’s not do this right now. Right now you’re going to the hospital,” Waverly tells her. 

“Just let me sleep it off,” Nicole says. She leaves the bathroom and heads back toward the bedroom.  

“Absolutely not, Nicole!” Waverly continues to argue, calling after her. 

“Waves, I’m fine!” Nicole groans. She turns around and sits on the end of the bed. “It’s 2am, I just need to sleep.” 

“I’m not letting you go back to sleep right now,” Waverly tells her. She heads back toward the bathroom to find a thermometer. She quickly takes her phone out to call Wynonna. 

  
  
  


_________

 

 

 

Wynonna arrives faster than Waverly expected. Nicole is sitting on the bed with a thermometer under her tongue when the older Earp comes burrowing through the door and up the stairs. 

“You called your sister?” Nicole asks as she removes the thermometer from her mouth. Her temperature is showing a fever, causing Waverly to become more concerned. “I just want to sleep guys,” Nicole huffs.

“You look like a sweaty mess,” Wynonna tells her. 

“I splashed water on my face,” Nicole says plainly. 

Waverly gives her a warning look. “She has a fever.” She goes into the cabinet to find Nicole’s medicine. When she pulls out the bottle, she looks at how many pills are left. She sighs in frustration and brings the bottle to Nicole. “Here,” she says as she hands Nicole the pills. 

Nicole is reluctant, but takes them anyway. Wynonna watches the interaction before she steps in. “Yeah you’re going to the hospital,” she tells Nicole.  

“Just let me sleep it off!” Nicole lets her frustration get the best of her and raises her voice at the sisters. 

“Haught, shut up!” Wynonna warns. Nicole sighs and drops her head toward the floor. She rubs her face with her hands and doesn’t speak while Wynonna calls for an ambulance. 

  
  


Wynonna drives her truck behind the ambulance on the way to the hospital. She insists that Waverly comes with her, knowing that she was frustrated and probably needed a second to cope. 

When they arrive at the hospital, they’re informed that Nicole is in with the doctor and they’d be able to join her momentarily. Waverly sighs and plops down in the chair. Wynonna follows suit, sitting down next to her. 

“Thanks for coming,” Waverly says to her sister. She's frustrated that it took calling Wynonna to get Nicole to become more compliant, but she knew she needed to get her to the hospital before anything became worse. 

“Of course, babygirl,” Wynonna says as she places her hand over Waverly’s. 

“I don’t know what the hell she was thinking!” Waverly huffs. 

“I do,” Wynonna tells her. “But I’m going to let her tell you.” Waverly gives her a confused look at first, but doesn’t question any further. 

 

 

  
_________  
  


 

 

They’re able to go into the room an hour later. Nicole tells them they’re waiting on some test results but the doctors feel they may have gotten her to the hospital before it got any worse. They were able to ge their temperature down and more fluids in her, but they needed to keep her overnight to monitor her further.

“I’m sorry,” Nicole says to Waverly. Waverly doesn’t say anything. She stands next to the bed, staring back at Nicole. She’s still clearly upset. “Baby, please,” Nicole says as she reaches out for Waverly’s hand. 

Waverly sighs. “Why wouldn’t you take your medication? If you don’t think you need the pain meds, that’s one thing. But the antibiotics are completely different.” Nicole doesn’t speak. She just stares back at her for a moment before breaking eye contact and looking down. “You have nothing to say?” Waverly asks. 

“What about being here for my good days and my bad days?” Nicole asks. She slowly looks back up at the brunette. 

“I’m here, aren’t I?” Waverly asks. “This isn’t a bad day, it’s a bad decision. A stupid one. What were you thinking? Let me guess, you weren’t!” Waverly's frustration grows. She drops Nicole’s hand and starts to pace a little. 

“I was thinking I didn’t want to be dependent on that shit. I was thinking I want to just be normal again. I want to be able to do the things I could before. I want to work full days and sleep at night. I want to not have nightmares every night!” Nicole argues.

“You never told me,” Waverly says, softly.

“I didn’t want to worry you. I don’t need someone to take care of me,” Nicole huffs.

“You’re doing so great on your own. If you don’t want me around, you can just tell me. It's not like I haven’t given you several opportunities!” Waverly argues.

“Oh, I know. You’re constantly trying to get me to push you away. Is that what you want?” Nicole raises her voice a little. 

“I don’t know what I want right now,” Waverly admits. Her tone is quiet and defeated. 

“Fine,” Nicole huffs.

“Fine,” Waverly sighs. 

“Waves,” Wynonna’s voice comes from the corner of the room. Waverly turns toward her. Wynonna gestures for her to come over to her. Waverly slowly makes her way to her sister. “Hey, why don’t you take my truck back to the house.” 

“I don’t know, Wynonna,” Waverly says. “I can’t keep leaving every time we fight.” 

“I know, I’m not suggesting running away from it,” Wynonna tells her. “But tensions are high right now and you don’t want to say something you regret.” Waverly knows her sister is right. She looks back at Nicole, who is avoiding eye contact at the moment. She can tell she’s hurt, but her frustration is making it hard for her to empathize with that right now. “She’s at the hospital, they’ll take care of her. She’ll be okay.”

“And you’ll call me if anything happens?” Waverly asks. 

“I will,” Wynonna agreed. 

“I really care about her, Wynonna,” Waverly tells her. 

“I know you do, Waves,” Wynonna says. She wraps her arms around her sister, bringing her into a hug. Waverly takes a deep breath in, letting it out slowly before she turns to leave the room. 

“Okay,” Wynonna says once Waverly is out of the room. She turns back toward Nicole, her tone is serious and frustrated. “Now, you want to tell me what the hell you were thinking?!” 


	6. Empty Rooms Can Be So Loud

Wynonna stares back at the redhead, waiting for an answer to her question. Nicole doesn’t answer. “I’m not going to play this game with you, Haught,” Wynonna tells her.   ****  
** **

“I was thinking I don’t want to become a pill popper like the rest of the Haught family,” Nicole finally answers. She’s frustrated and Wynonna can tell. “I was thinking I want my normal life back where I’m out in the field, not at a desk. I was thinking I want to be able to take my girlfriend out without becoming tired. Fuck, I’d go dancing with her if that’s what she wanted.”  ****  
** **

“You hate to dance,” Wynonna reminds her.  ****  
** **

“But I wish that I had energy to do it. I was thinking that I'd like to sleep with my girlfriend without her being worried she’s going to hurt me or her feeling guilty that it’s one sided right now,” Nicole continues. “I know it’s your sister and you probably don’t want to hear that, but it’s what I’m thinking.”  ****  
** **

“We can pretend she’s not my sister when you want to talk about that,” Wynonna laughs. “Listen, Haught, you got shot. That doesn’t mean you’ll never have any of that. You’re still here.”  ****  
** **

“I’m so fucking sick of waiting, Wynonna. You know how long I waited for good things in this life? I worked my ass off to get where I was, I trust the wrong person and I end up shot. What did I do to the universe to deserve that?” Nicole asks.  ****  
** **

“None of us could have known. We all trusted him. You both went through the same training, no one would have thought he would turn his back on you out there. But we got him now, he’s not out there anymore. It’s over,” Wynonna explains.  ****  
** **

“It’s not over, there’s still a trial,” Nicole reminds her. “All this is going on and I can’t talk about it.” ****  
** **

“He doesn’t stand a chance,” Wynonna assures her.  “But what’s important right now is that he’s in custody.” ****  
** **

“Yeah and a man had to swoop in and save the day. You know how that makes me look?” Nicole huffs.  ****  
** **

“Nicole,” Wynonna starts. ****  
** **

“I know, I know,” Nicole groans. “That’s not that what they think about me.” ****  
** **

“Those are not the guys from the academy, or the city and they sure as hell aren’t your parents,” Wynonna tells her. “And Waverly, she’s not Shae. People can be different. These people love you and they admire you so you really need to get your shit together here, Haught, because we’re going to need you back soon.” ****  
** **

“I really messed up, Wynonna,” Nicole says. “Your sister probably hates me now.” Wynonna starts to laugh causing Nicole to become confused. “What’s so funny?” She asks.  ****  
** **

“She doesn’t hate you, Haught. That girl is never going to hate you. Do you know how many times I’ve messed up and she still loves me?” ****  
** **

“You’re her sister,” Nicole reminds her.  ****  
** **

“And you’re her soulmate,” Wynonna says. Nicole is surprised that these words coming out of her mouth. “She’s mad because you could have been hurt. She’s mad because you made a poor choice. But she’s not mad at you for being you. Trust me on that one.” ****  
** **

“So how do I fix it?” Nicole asks.   ****  
** **

“Right now, you need to fix you,” Wynonna tells her. “Take the damn medications, heal the damn wound. This moment is not about to define you, I won’t let it and you shouldn’t either. As for my sister, she needs time, but she’ll come around.” ****  
** **

“I’m going to have to tell her what’s going on, Wynonna,” Nicole says. “I need to let her in. I can’t keep it all inside anymore.”  ****  
** **

“I know,” Wynonna says. “You should probably start with all the other stuff too. Talk to her.” ****  
** **

“She asked about my parents,” Nicole informs her.  ****  
** **

“And what did you tell her?” Wynonna asks.  ****  
** **

“I didn’t want to talk about it,” Nicole says.  ****  
** **

“Welcome to being in a relationship, Haught stuff. You’re going to have to talk about things you don’t like to talk about it. Waverly will be understanding,” Wynonna assures her.  ****  
** **

“When did you become the wise friend?” Nicole laughs.  ****  
** **

“When I saw my best friend almost die,” Wynonna says. Her tone is more serious now. ****  
** **

“I’m sorry, Wynonna,” Nicole says apologetically.  ****  
** **

“I’m not looking for an apology, Nicole. I just need you to get it together,” Wynonna says.  ****  
** **

“Deal,” Nicole sighs. She leans her head back further on the hospital bed. She knows Wynonna is right. She hates it when Wynonna is right. 

********  
  


————————

********  
  


Waverly reluctantly goes home to her house for the night. She hasn’t slept in her own bed in a while. It’s cold and it’s bigger than she remembers. She misses the warmth of Nicole’s body sleeping next to her. She misses feeling the redhead roll over to hold her in her sleep. She even misses the sound of Nicole snoring in her ear. But that this moment, she’s also incredibly frustrated with her. She doesn’t understand what would possess her to stop taking her medications. Why wouldn’t she talk to Waverly about it if she was struggling? Maybe she hasn’t really let her in like she thought she was.  ****  
** **

The next morning Waverly texts Jeremy to ask if he is free for lunch later that day. She needs someone to vent to that’s not her sister. She knows Wynonna means we’ll, but anything she says she’s afraid is going to make the older Earp threaten Nicole even more.  ****  
** **

She arrives at the restaurant early to find Jeremy has already secured them a table. She always admired that about Jeremy, promptness is important. She sits down and sees there’s already a water waiting for her at the table.  ****  
** **

“Thanks, Jer,” Waverly smiles at the man as she takes a sip. “And thanks again for meeting up with me.”  ****  
** **

“Is everything okay?” Jeremy asks. “Your messages seemed a little ‘SOS’ this morning,” he says using finger quotes around ‘SOS.’ Waverly lets out a bigger sigh than she originally intended. “That good, huh?”  ****  
** **

“Nicole’s back in the hospital,” Waverly tells him. Jeremy suddenly looks concerned. ****  
** **

“And you’re not there?” He asks. “Is she okay?” ****  
** **

“It’s complicated,” Waverly sighs.  ****  
** **

“What did she do?” Jeremy asks. He takes a sip of his water and lifts his head to give his attention to the brunette.  ****  
** **

“She decided it was a good idea not to take her medications anymore,” Waverly says. As the words come out of her mouth she’s still just as confused as the look on Jeremy’s face.  ****  
** **

“What?” He asks. “Why?”  ****  
** **

“Your guess is as good as mine,” Waverly huffs. “She’s just so frustrating sometimes, Jer. She’s great, don’t get me wrong. But I just can’t wrap my head around some of the things she does sometimes.”  ****  
** **

“She’s definitely strong headed,” Jeremy agreed. “There’s gotta be more to it though.”  ****  
** **

“I get that she’s going through more than I know right now and trust me, I want to be there for it. I want to help her. But I also can’t sit here and let her self destruct,” Waverly says. “She asked me what I wanted and I told her I didn’t know.”  ****  
** **

“Well, how do you feel about her?” Jeremy asks. “I know you obviously like her or you wouldn’t be here. But at the end of the day, frustrations aside, how do you truly feel about her?”  ****  
** **

“I’m in love with her,” Waverly admits. “I haven’t even told her that yet.” She sighs.  ****  
** **

“So you know what you want,” Jeremy tells her. “You want her.”  ****  
** **

“Of course I do, Jer,” Waverly sighs. “But I also can’t do the work for her.” ****  
** **

“Maybe she just needs to know someone is there,” Jeremy suggests.  ****  
** **

“She could have gotten really sick, Jeremy,” Waverly says. She’s almost reminding herself. She feels a pain deep in her stomach at the thought of something truly bad happening to the redhead.  ****  
** **

“I know. And I’m sure she knows that,” he tells her. “It was dumb, but people make mistakes,” Waves.”  ****  
** **

“Who’s side are you on here?” Waverly huffs.  ****  
** **

“I’m not choosing sides, I’m just stating the facts here,” Jeremy says, putting his hands out in front of him. “I side with love. And you two are good together,” he tells her. ****  
** **

“It’s hard,” Waverly admits.  ****  
** **

“No one said it was going to be easy,” Jeremy says. ****  
** **

“The timing is messed up,” Waverly continues to give excuses why it might not work. ****  
** **

“Look Waves,” Jeremy begins. “These are less than ideal circumstances, everyone knows that. You hit it off the day before she was leaving for an assignment. Timing has never been on your side, but that doesn’t mean it can’t work and it sure as hell doesn’t mean it’s not worth it.”  ****  
** **

“She’s just so frustrating,” Waverly groans. “She’s stubborn. She’s strong willed. She thinks she’s invincible.” ****  
** **

“And what do you love about her?” Jeremy asks.  ****  
** **

“She’s sweet and very kind,” Waverly answers right away. “She lights up a room when she walks into it. She's stubborn, she’s strong willed, she thinks she’s invincible…” she trails off.  ****  
** **

“Sometimes you need to put those things into a different perspective,” Jeremy says with a wink.  ****  
** **

“So what I love about her also frustrates the hell out of me?” Waverly asks. “And that’s normal?”  ****  
** **

“Welcome to love, my friend. Nicole is a good person,” Jeremy reminds her.  ****  
** **

“I don’t need everyone to keep telling me that,” Waverly sighs. “I know she’s a good person. She’s a great person. She’s warm and accepting. She sees the good in people when others don’t. She loves with every fiber of her being and being on the receiving end of that is magical. Or it was.” ****  
** **

“I don’t think it needs to end,” Jeremy assures her.  ****  
** **

“I know she’s having a hard time. And I’m trying to be supportive, but it’s not easy for me either,” Waverly admits.  ****  
** **

“I know that, and I’m sure she knows that too. Maybe you just need to give her the chance to understand. You guys are dealing with things together that people who date for years never have to,” Jeremy says.  ****  
** **

“Yeah, where’s my normal relationship where we argue over what restaurant we want to go to or who lost the car keys?” Waverly laughs.  ****  
** **

“Look, if you can get through this, you can get through anything,” Jeremy says.  ****  
** **

“I hope so,” Waverly sighs.  ****  
** **

“When does she come home from the hospital?” Jeremy asks.  ****  
** **

“Tonight,” Waverly says. “She texted me earlier asking if we can see each other when she’s home.”  ****  
** **

“And?” Jeremy asks.  ****  
** **

“I think I’ll head over there after lunch so I can be there when she gets home,” Waverly says. She’s still unsure if she’s making the right choice with surprising the redhead, but decides she’s going to anyway.  ****  
** **

“You’re stronger than you think, Waverly Earp,” Jeremy says with a smile. 

********  
  


————————

********  
  


“Okay, Nicole, make sure you’re taking the medication this time,” the doctor warns. Nicole looks back at him apologetically. She’s sitting on the edge of the bed with her feet on the ground. Wynonna is sitting in a chair on the other side of the room, watching her.  ****  
** **

“I know, I’m sorry,” Nicole says softly. She realizes what she did was dumb and how much she can lose because of those choices.  ****  
** **

“If you have any other issues, call us, but you should be good with taking these,” the doctor says.  ****  
** **

“Thank you,” Nicole nods as she takes the paper with the prescription on it out of his hand.  ****  
** **

“Any other questions?” The doctor asks before he is about to leave the room.  ****  
** **

“Yeah,” she says quickly, stopping the doctor in his tracks. “Uh, when do you think I’ll be good for more physical activity? This sitting still thing is killing me,” Nicole admits with a laugh. ****  
** **

“It depends on what kind of physical activity,” he tells her. “You still shouldn’t lift much. Nothing to strain the abdomen. Walking is fine, hold off on runs still,” he warns.   ****  
** **

“I think she’s thinking more physical in the bedroom, Doc,” Wynonna chimes in. Nicole quickly shoots her a look.  ****  
** **

“Shut up, Wynonna!” Nicole huffs. The doctor blushes a little. He’s young and handsome. Nicole noticed Wynonna checking him out since he walked through the door.  ****  
** **

“Damn, Haught,” Wynonna continues. “Now you’re making the doctor blush!” Nicole rolls her eyes at her friend and shakes her head. She’s tired and just wants to get out of there.  ****  
** **

“It’s okay, I mean, if you guys want to…” the doctor begins.  ****  
** **

“Whoa whoa!” Wynonna says, putting her hands up in front of her. “Not us. She wants to bang my little sister. Not me. It’s a little unfortunate, but it does mean I’m free…” she trails off.  ****  
** **

“Can I get out of here now?” Nicole asks. The doctor looks a little uncomfortable with the conversation and turns back to Nicole.  ****  
** **

“I’m sorry, I didn't mean to,” he stutters a little. “You’re free to go,” he tells her, gesturing for the door. She climbs off of the bed and turns to Wynonna.  ****  
** **

“Let’s go, asshole,” she huffs as she gestures for the brunette to follow her. 

********  
  


————————

********  
  


Waverly arrives at Nicole’s not long after her lunch with Jeremy. The rest of the lunch was spent discussing his maybe kind of relationship with Robin. Waverly teased him on his ability to give such great relationship advice while struggling to handle being in his own.  ****  
** **

On the way to Nicole house, Waverly stops to pick up flowers. She’s never bought anyone flowers before, so she’s unsure what to buy. She also never asked Nicole what kind of flowers she likes. Does Nicole even like flowers? What if she thinks it’s too cheesy? She settles on a small bouquet of assorted flowers, just in case. ****  
** **

When she arrives at the door, she reaches into the mailbox, hoping Nicole didn’t take her apprehension about putting a key in her mailbox seriously. She didn’t. She unlocks the door with the key and places it back into the mailbox, locking the door behind her. She makes her way into the kitchen and finds a vase to put the flowers in.  ****  
** **

After arranging them almost perfectly, she places them in the center of the table. She gives them another glance, fixing one of the flowers that seems out of place. She then sends a text to her sister to see when Nicole is being discharged.  ****  
** **

Wynonna doesn’t reply for another hour. Waverly is partially annoyed but she shouldn’t be surprised since it is her sister after all. She finally gets a reply saying that they’re on their way back to Nicole’s place. Waverly doesn’t tell either of them that she’s there, she’s unsure if they’ll notice her Jeep parked on the side of the house.  ****  
** **

The front door swings open and Waverly is in the living room, sitting on the couch. She stands up to greet the redhead at the door. Nicole seems surprised to see her at first and Waverly can’t tell if it’s a good thing or a bad thing.  ****  
** **

“Waves, what are you doing here?” Nicole asks as she enters her house. She sets a bag of prescription medication down on the counter in the kitchen.   ****  
** **

“I came this afternoon, I used the spare in the mailbox, I hope it’s okay,” Waverly explains.  ****  
** **

“Yeah, it’s fine I…” Nicole starts.  ****  
** **

“Alright, Haught, where’s the whiskey?” Wynonna’s voice appears in the doorway of the house. She enters behind Nicole, shutting the door behind her.  ****  
** **

“Oh, I didn’t know you had plans,” Waverly says. Her face drops. She feels stupid for just showing up without warning. ****  
** **

“No it’s just…” Nicole tries to talk again before getting cut off by Wynonna.  ****  
** **

“Tonight we booze!” Wynonna calls out. “You want a glass, babygirl?” She asks as she makes her way into the kitchen, opening one of Nicole’s cupboards. Waverly shakes her head and looks back at Nicole.  ****  
** **

“I’m not boozing, I’m on medication,” Nicole assures her. She puts her hands out in front of her, defensively.  ****  
** **

“No thanks, Wynonna. I, uh, I’ll just go,” she looks at Nicole and gestures to the door.  ****  
** **

“No!” Nicole calls out as Waverly starts to move toward the door. Waverly turns back, looking at the redhead.  ****  
** **

“Stay, please,” Nicole pleads. She reaches a hand out, brushing her fingertips lightly against Waverly’s arm before her hand falls back to her side again.  ****  
** **

“I’m not really in the mood to drink with my sister,” Waverly says. Wynonna has now found a glass and is about to open a bottle of whiskey that’s in front of her.   ****  
** **

“I can send her home,” Nicole says. She glances back at Wynonna, quickly, then turns her attention back to Waverly.  ****  
** **

“But you clearly had plans,” Waverly says. She smiles softly at the redhead. She didn’t tell her she was coming so she can’t really be mad that Nicole made other plans for when she got home from the hospital.  ****  
** **

“Well, she does,” Nicole gestures toward the older Earp. “I’m not really sure where I fit in here.” She laughs a little, but Waverly remains serious.  ****  
** **

“It’s okay, Nicole,” Waverly says. “We’ll talk later.” She turns the door handle, about to leave.  ****  
** **

“It’s not. Please,” Nicole reaches out for Waverly’s arm again, this time lightly holding onto it.  ****  
** **

“You guys are being party poopers!” Wynonna chimes in. There’s a slight whine in her tone.  ****  
** **

“Wynonna,” Nicole warns.  ****  
** **

“Man, I thought I’d at least get my best friend for a little bit of time!” Wynonna whines. ****  
** **

“It’s really fine, I can go,” Waverly turns the door handle, pulling the door open.  ****  
** **

“Everybody stop!” Nicole finally yells. Both Earp sisters can see the redhead is overwhelmed. They stop in their tracks. Waverly slowly shuts the front door of the house and turns her attention back toward Nicole. “Please guys,” Nicole sighs. “Wynonna, were going to have to reschedule because right now I have to fix something that’s really important to me.” ****  
** **

Wynonna sighs dramatically. “Fine!” ****  
** **

“Thank you,” Nicole says. “We’ll have a best friends night soon, okay?” She asks Wynonna. Wynonna nods and smiles back at her sister before she leaves the house. After she leaves, Nicole turns the lock on the door handle. She turns back toward Waverly. “Sorry,” she says. ****  
** **

Waverly doesn’t speak at first. She stands quietly on the other side of the room. “So, the doctor told me I don’t have an infection. I was lucky,” Nicole continues. “I’m taking my medication again. Waves, look-” ****  
** **

“That’s good, Nicole,” Waverly finally says.  ****  
** **

“I was supposed to take you out on a date tonight,” Nicole remembers.  ****  
** **

“It’s really okay,” Waverly tells her.  ****  
** **

“It’s not okay. None of this is okay. There’s no excuse for it,” Nicole says as she makes her way closer to Waverly. She places her hands on Waverly’s sides, just above her hips.  ****  
** **

“Nicole,” Waverly begins.  ****  
** **

“No,” Nicole stops her. “I have a lot to explain to you, Waverly. You deserve to be let in. I like to shove all of my emotional baggage as far back as it will possibly go until it all builds up and spills out. I’m not about to do that to you.” ****  
** **

“Okay,” Waverly says. Nicole moves away a little and gestures for Waverly to sit with her on the couch in the living room. Nicole sits on the far corner and turns her body toward the other side. Waverly takes a seat closer to the other side of the couch, leaving some room in between them. ****  
** **

“You asked me about my parents and I never told you,” Nicole continues. ****  
** **

“I didn’t want to push you,” Waverly tells her. ****  
** **

“Sometimes I think I need pushing,” Nicole admits. “Look, my parents suck. They exist but they might as well not. They were never around. I was pretty much on my own since I was ten. Just when I thought things would be getting better, they would spiral again. I’m pretty sure they loved drugs more than me.”  ****  
** **

Waverly feels a pain of sympathy in her chest. She wants to take the redhead in her arms and hold her, but she remains where she is, allowing Nicole to continue.  ****  
** **

“I don’t like to talk about them because I’m past that part in my life, you know? I fought to become emancipated at 16 years old because I couldn’t deal with it anymore. I wanted to become a police officer and they laughed in my face. They didn’t like cops very much, for obvious reasons,” Nicole explains. “I guess I don’t like to talk about them because I don’t like to use them as an excuse for why I do things sometimes. I make my own decisions, stupid or not,” she admits.  ****  
** **

Waverly reaches her hand out toward the redhead. Nicole reciprocates the movement, taking Waverly’s hand in her own. The brunette doesn’t speak, she just squeezes Nicole’s hand gently, allowing her to continue. ****  
** **

“I’m always worried with medication,” Nicole admits. “Addiction runs in my family and I don’t want to end up like them,” she says. “I know that probably makes me sound stupid…” ****  
** **

“You’re not stupid, Nicole,” Waverly says. “You can make stupid choices, but that doesn’t make you stupid.” ****  
** **

“I know,” Nicole admits. “I think what’s frustrating about the entire thing is that I’ve always been trying to prove myself, you know?” She asks. “When I went to the academy I had a hard time fitting in. A lot of the guys in the city thought they were better than me. They didn’t think I’d make it because I’m a girl. But you know what? That only lit the fuel more and made me fight harder. Just before I got the job in purgatory, I met a woman named Shae. I thought we were perfect for each other. She was adventurous and we had a lot of fun together.” ****  
** **

Waverly begins to rub small circles on Nicole’s hand while she speaks. She remains quiet and continues to listen to her story.  ****  
** **

“I know this is probably not what you want to hear, but it’s important,” Nicole explains. “I fell in love hard with Shae and then I moved here to Purgatory for the job. Turns out, she was more adventurous than I thought. Adventurous with other women in the city,” she laughs a little. “That crushed me, but I came out of it. It took a lot of drunken nights with your sister to convince me I’ll be okay though,” she says. “And a lot of asking about you.” ****  
** **

“Wait what?” Waverly asks, surprised.  ****  
** **

“You think the night of my party was the first time I noticed you?” Nicole asks. ****  
** **

“I didn’t know,” Waverly tells her.  ****  
** **

“I thought your sister was going to kill me when she found out we were leaving the party together,” Nicole laughs.  ****  
** **

“Why?” Waverly asks. “I thought she was just warning you because you were leaving.” ****  
** **

“She was,” Nicole tells her. “But she would yell at me when I would check you out when you came down to the station.” ****  
** **

“Why didn’t you ever say anything? You barely spoke to me when I’d come in,” Waverly says.  ****  
** **

“I wasn’t sure when I’d have my shot. You were always dating some boy that always seemed to have you upset,” Nicole admits. ****  
** **

“Just one boy and you’re right,” Waverly says softly.  ****  
** **

“I always thought you deserved better than him,” Nicole tells her. “You’d look upset or frustrated and your sister would threaten to kill him. I used to think about what I would do if I had a chance with you.”  ****  
** **

“So that night you took your chance?” Waverly asks.  ****  
** **

“That night I was feeling brave,” Nicole says with a wink. ****  
** **

“You waited until you were leaving for a year,” Waverly laughs a little.  ****  
** **

“Yeah, not my finest hour,” Nicole laughs. “But I didn’t want to go a year without trying. I’m sorry, Waves, I always thought you deserve better and I haven’t been that for you yet,” she admits.  ****  
** **

“Hey,” Waverly says, softly. She moves her body closer to Nicole. “I’m glad you took the chance. That was the first night in my entire life that I felt truly noticed. I felt like you were truly listening to me and not because you had some other motive.” ****  
** **

“I was listening,” Nicole admits. “It wasn’t easy to take the chance, but I had to try. “I would never have an ulterior motive for spending time with you or force you to do anything you didn’t want to do.” ****  
** **

“You always came off as someone so confident to me,” Waverly tells her. “I didn’t think anything made you nervous.” ****  
** **

“I thought I was cocky,” Nicole teases.  ****  
** **

“That too,” Waverly smiles back at her.  ****  
** **

“It’s easy to pretend,” Nicole says. “There are times when I’m an internal mess though.” ****  
** **

“You’re not the only one,” Waverly tells her.  ****  
** **

“I’m really sorry I scared you,” Nicole apologizes.  ****  
** **

“I know,” Waverly says. She scoots closer to Nicole on the couch. Nicole lifts her arm up to allow Waverly to sit closer to her.  ****  
** **

“You don’t deserve any of that,” Nicole says.  ****  
** **

“I understand it’s been hard for you. I don’t even know the whole story but I can't imagine,” Waverly says.  ****  
** **

“You will soon. I need to tell you. I need to be able to talk to you about it. As soon as I can discuss it, you’ll know,” Nicole assures her.  ****  
** **

“So I take it the shooting wasn’t an accident?” Waverly asks. Nicole shakes her head. Waverly can see the pain in her face. “When you’re ready.”  ****  
** **

“So you don’t hate me?” Nicole asks.  ****  
** **

“Baby, I don’t hate you,” Waverly says. She reaches up and brushes her thumb gently on Nicole’s cheek. “Trust me, that’s far from how I feel about you.” ****  
** **

“It’s hard for me to trust people and let them in,” Nicole admits.  ****  
** **

“I get that,” Waverly tells her. She reaches up and tucks a loose hair behind Nicole’s ear.  ****  
** **

“Maybe we were meant for each other,” Nicole laughs.  ****  
** **

“Is that your answer to question 19?” Waverly asks. “Whether or not you believe in soulmates?” ****  
** **

Nicole smirks. “What do you think?”  ****  
** **

“Yeah?” Waverly asks.  ****  
** **

“Yeah,” Nicole smiles. She places a finger underneath Waverly’s chin and lifts her head slightly toward her own. Nicole leans in toward Waverly, lips crashing together. Waverly takes blame for how fast the kiss deepens. She can’t help herself. Hearing Nicole finally open up to her makes her fall harder for the redhead than she already has. She was still nervous that she was going to hurt her, so she was careful not to put too much pressure on Nicole’s abdomen. They continue to kiss for a few moments. Waverly finds her hands wandering a little more than usual on Nicole’s body. She is sitting more on her lap now, facing the redhead as much as possible. ****  
** **

“So you would check me out at the station, huh?” Waverly asks as she pulls away to take a breath.  ****  
** **

“Maybe,” Nicole grins.  ****  
** **

“And did you like what you saw?” Waverly asks in a suggestive tone.  ****  
** **

“Maybe,” Nicole says as she nods her head yes. ****  
** **

“Just maybe?” Waverly teases. ****  
** **

“Maybe a little more than maybe,” Nicole laughs. She leans her head back toward Waverly. Waverly meets her in the middle, lips reconnecting. She breaks away for a moment to reposition herself. She is now sitting fully on Nicole’s lap, facing her. Her legs are straddling the redhead’s. Nicole wraps her arms around Waverly’s back for support. Waverly leans back down to kiss the redhead, pressing her body further against Nicole’s. 

“Are you okay?” Waverly asks as she pulls away after a few moments.  ****  
** **

“I'm on some pretty strong meds,” Nicole laughs. “There’s not much I can feel right now. You don’t have to keep asking though, I’ll let you know if something is ever too much,” she says.  ****  
** **

“Promise?” Waverly asks. She knows she’s being a little overly protective, but under the circumstances she feels it’s appropriate. ****  
** **

“I promise,” Nicole says as she pulls Waverly back in for another kiss. “Did you bring flowers?” She asks when they pull away. She glances into the kitchen, catching a glimpse of the flowers on the table.  ****  
** **

“Do you hate them?” Waverly cringes. She glances behind her to see the flowers as well. 

“Baby, they’re beautiful,” Nicole says with a smile.  ****  
** **

“I’ve never bought anyone flowers before,” Waverly admits. She’s nervous that the redhead is just being nice about her choice of flowers.  ****  
** **

“I love them,” Nicole tells her. “No one has ever bought me flowers before.”  ****  
** **

“Next time I’ll bring balloons too,” Waverly tells her. She chuckles at the thought.  ****  
** **

“Man, Earp, you’re already anticipating a next fight?” Nicole teases. “If that’s the case, I’ll bring balloons too and we can just have ourselves a big old sorry party!”  ****  
** **

“Sounds perfect,” Waverly turns back toward Nicole, smiling.  ****  
** **

“I really am sorry I scared you, Waves.” Nicole’s voice is soft and genuine. Waverly places her hands on Nicole’s cheeks and leans in for a kiss. The kiss is soft and slow, but doesn’t last long. When Waverly pulls away, she rests her forehead on the redhead’s.  ****  
** **

“Just don’t do that again, please,” Waverly says, almost in a whisper.  ****  
** **

“I won’t,” Nicole assures her.  ****  
** **

“Good because I’m in love with you Nicole, and I’m not sure what I’d do if I lost you,” Waverly says as she pulls away a little further from the redhead. She watches as Nicole slowly opens her eyes and a smile grows on her face.  ****  
** **

“You love me,” Nicole says. It comes out more as a statement than a question. Waverly nods and smiles back at the redhead. They sit in silence for a moment, looking back at each other. “I love you too, Waverly,” Nicole whispers. Waverly immediately moves her lips, crashing against the redhead’s. Nicole parts her lips quickly, kissing Waverly back with passion. Waverly can’t help but move her body impossibly close to Nicole’s, not pulling back this time to check to see if she’s okay. She trusts that the redhead will let her know if it’s too much, and continues to deepen the kiss.  ****  
** **

She feels her passion for the redhead building inside of her, unable to hold herself back too much longer. She slowly peels her head back, attempting to gain a little more control over herself when she feels Nicole’s lips begin to lay kisses down her neck. Waverly lets out a soft moan at the feeling, debating in her mind whether or not she should stop her.  ****  
** **

“Hey,” she whispers, reluctantly. Nicole slowly peels her lips from Waverly’s neck and pulls back to make eye contact with the brunette. “As much as I love this, you should probably rest.” Nicole groans and throws her head back dramatically.  ****  
** **

“Why do you have to be right?” Nicole whines. Waverly laughs at the redhead whining in front of her.  ****  
** **

“It’s a gift,” Waverly teases. She stands from Nicole’s lap and reaches her hand out to the redhead, helping her off of the couch. “Come on,” she gives Nicole’s hand a small tug, leading her toward the stairs.  ****  
** **

They settle into bed together after changing into clothes to sleep in. Waverly has gotten used to helping herself to Nicole’s clothes without asking. Nicole doesn’t seem to mind either. As they lay down together, Waverly scoots her body as close as she possibly can to Nicole’s. Nicole briefly teases her about always sleeping in the middle of the bed, but holds her close to her body when Waverly jokingly tries to move to the other side.  ****  
** **

Waverly giggles and kisses Nicole on the nose. The room becomes quiet and they take a moment to just look back at each other. The room is dark and Waverly can barely make out the outline of Nicole’s face, but she knows exactly what it looks like. She feels a closeness between the two of them that she hasn’t felt before. It’s comforting and feels familiar, yet new at the same time. It’s a feeling she hopes will last a long as she can possibly make it. They continue to lay close, kissing late into the night before one of them succumbs to sleep first. 


	7. I’ll Be The One To Save You

It’s been close to two months since Nicole returned home to Purgatory. Waverly has been spending most of her nights at Nicole’s house with her. Wynonna has been teasing them more and more about playing house, making comments about how she might as well just move in with Nicole so she can have the house to herself. Waverly usually brushes the comments off since that was not a topic they had covered yet and she wasn’t about to be the first one to bring it up. 

Nicole has been getting better about being open about her feelings with Waverly. She still keeps work fairly private, but assures Waverly that she will be able to discuss it more soon. Waverly trusts in her word, trying not to think too much into it. Nicole wakes Waverly up once or twice a week having nightmares. Waverly isn’t sure if Nicole even realizes how frantic she becomes in her sleep. She usually just wraps the redhead tighter in her arms, letting her know she’s there and she’s safe. 

On this particular night, Waverly is having trouble calming Nicole down in her sleep. Nicole has been tossing and turning for a good portion of the night. Waverly tries holding her in her arms and speaking calmly to her, reminding her of where she is.

“Baby,” Waverly says, her voice starts in a whisper but gets louder as she repeats herself. “Nicole, baby, wake up.” She shakes the redhead gently, attempting not to startle her awake. Nicole’s body relaxes a bit and she squints her eyes open.

“Huh?” Nicole’s voice is quiet and raspy. 

“You’re having a bad dream,” Waverly says, softly. She brushes loose hairs out of Nicole’s face. “It’s okay.”

“Sorry,” Nicole says. She rubs her face with her hand and opens her eyes a little further. 

“Hey, don’t worry about it,” Waverly tells her. “Are you okay?” 

“Yeah,” Nicole says, she rolls over to face Waverly. The room is dark, but Waverly’s eyes have adjusted enough to be able see the redhead’s face more. 

“Are you sure?” Waverly asks. “This is the third time this week,” she tells her. She’s starting to grow more concerned. 

“Really?” Nicole groans. “I don’t usually remember.” she seems slightly embarrassed by this. 

“I know,” Waverly says. She kisses Nicole on the forehead. “Do you want to talk about it?” she asks. 

“It just keeps replaying in my head lately,” Nicole tells her. “I haven’t gotten much more information on what’s going to happen and it’s apparently found its way into my sleep schedule,” she groans. 

“Do you think that’s what your meeting with Nedley is about tomorrow?” Waverly asks. 

“Who knows,” Nicole says. “That man is always cryptic,” she laughs a little. “I’m sorry I woke you.”

“Hey,” Waverly says. She wraps her arms a little tighter around the redhead, something that she’s been able to do since Nicole has been healing more lately. “Stop apologizing. You know I’m here, no matter what.” She places a hand on Nicole’s cheek. She feels the redhead relax under her touch. 

“I know, thank you,” Nicole says. “This is going to be a lot for a little while. But hey, we get through this, we get through anything, right?” she laughs a little. Waverly smiles and nods at the redhead. 

“We got this,” she says with a wink. 

“Thanks for calming me down,” Nicole says. “Every second of every day,” she laughs. “Seriously, Waves, I’m not sure how I’d do this without you.”

“Well, let’s not find out,” Waverly teases. Nicole laughs and leans in, catching Waverly’s lips with her own. Nicole quicky deepens the kiss without warning. Waverly accepts it, brushing her tongue against the redhead’s. They kiss for a few moments before they pull away for a breath. “Well now I’m awake,” Waverly laughs. 

“Sorry,” Nicole says, sheepishly. 

“Don’t be,” Waverly says, placing a few more kisses on Nicole’s lips. “I don’t want to keep you up all night.” Nicole groans and rolls over onto her back, causing Waverly to laugh. “You have work!”

“Screw work,” Nicole huffs. Waverly gives her a warning look, followed by a grin. She can’t help but find the woman next to her adorable as she watches her pout. “Okay, fine,” Nicole says. She rolls back over toward the brunette, wrapping her arms around her. “But I don’t work the day after tomorrow.”

“Then you’re allowed to stay up as late as you want,” Waverly teases. She places another kiss on Nicole’s forward and tucks her face into her chest.

“Deal,” Nicole says. “Goodnight, Waves.”

“Goodnight,” Waverly replies. She feels herself immediately relaxing in the arms of the woman lying next to her. 

  
  
  


_______________

  
  
  
  


Waverly wakes up slower than Nicole, which is rare because she is normally up with the sun. She realizes Nicole isn’t in bed anymore and gets up to go make coffee. As she passes the bathroom, the door is partially opened. The shower is running and Nicole is standing in front of the mirror, naked. Waverly doesn’t want to intrude, but she finds herself staring a little longer at the redhead’s body. 

Nicole turns and realizes she’s not alone. “Oh, hey,” she says. “Did I wake you?” She doesn’t appear to be worried about the fact that she's not wearing any clothes. This is the first time Waverly has seen her fully naked, so it takes her a second to make words. 

“Uh, no,” she stutters. “How’s it looking?” She asks, gesturing toward the wound. 

“Really good, actually,” Nicole smiles, looking down at her stomach that is no longer covered constantly by a giant bandage. “Sorry, am I making you uncomfortable? I was just going to jump in the shower, quick,” she says. 

“Oh. Uh, no,” Waverly stutters. “I’ll make coffee,” she gestures toward the stairs.

“Thanks,” Nicole smiles. Waverly turns to make her way into the kitchen.

She’s become pretty comfortable in Nicole’s house over the past few weeks. She’s never felt this comfortable with anyone before, especially not this quickly, so it was all pretty new to her still. She starts a pot of coffee and sits down on the couch, turning on the tv. After a few minutes of flipping through channels and not finding anything to watch, she stands back up to pour herself a cup of coffee and settles back into the couch. 

Nicole descends down the stairs a little while later in her uniform. Her hair is still damp and she smells clean. She stops in the kitchen to pour herself a cup of coffee before making her way into the living room. Waverly smiles at the redhead as she enters the room. Her eyes wander briefly, scanning the way Nicole looks in her uniform. Nicole looks down at her own body when she sees the way Waverly is looking at her. Waverly blushes back at the redhead. 

“Thanks for the coffee,” Nicole says as she sits down next to Waverly, leaving little space between the two of them. 

“You’re welcome,” Waverly smiles. She leans gently into Nicole’s side. Nicole plants a kiss on Waverly’s temple. 

“Man, I could get used to this,” Nicole says, wrapping her arm over the back of the couch. 

“Feeling a little better this morning?” Waverly asks. 

“I’m not gonna lie,” Nicole says. “It’s been great to be able to fully take a shower again,” she laughs. “And it feels good to be back in uniform.” She smooths her hands over the material on her torso. Waverly licks her lips, thinking about how good she looks in her uniform. 

“How does your wound feel?” Waverly asks. Her eyes trail naturally down toward Nicole’s abdomen.

“Good, I’m ready to run laps,” Nicole says, confidently. Waverly immediately narrows her eyes at the redhead. 

“No you are not!” She warns, pointing a finger back at the redhead. 

Nicole’s gives a pouty lip. “Come on, baby,” she whines in a playful manner. 

“You want it to reopen?” Waverly warns. Nicole sighs dramatically back at the brunette. 

“It’s fine!” Nicole glances down, pulling her shirt up a little to reveal her healing wound. Waverly has to admit, it is looking much better. She eyes shift to the redhead’s abs. She brushes her fingertips lightly on Nicole’s skin.  

“You didn’t have to pack that nasty thing!” Waverly teases, pulling Nicole’s shirt back down. 

“Fair enough,” Nicole laughs. She stands back up to retuck her shirt in, smoothing the uniform back out again. 

“It can still get infected,” Waverly warns. She realizes she’s starting to be overly protective again and cringes at herself a little. 

“I know,” Nicole sighs as she sits back down. 

“Sorry,” Waverly says, sheepishly. She’s really been trying not to be so much of a hover girlfriend lately. 

“Don’t be. I understand, Waves,” Nicole asures her. “I haven’t made it really that easy on you. But hey, I’ve been nothing but honest with you lately.” Nicole nudges the brunette playfully. 

“I know, and I appreciate that,” Waverly leans in to kiss Nicole on the cheek. “Are you hungry?”

“I’ll probably grab something on the way to the station. I have to leave soon, Nedley wants to meet first thing,” she says in a mocking tone. Waverly can feel that Nicole is nervous about her meeting this morning. 

“Let me know if you need me,” Waverly tells her. She places her hand over Nicole’s.

“I always need you,” Nicole says with a smile. She squeezes the brunette’s hand, softly. 

“Yeah, yeah, you know what I mean,” Waverly tells her. 

“I know,” Nicole says. “You work tonight, right?”

“Unfortunately,” Waverly groans. She doesn’t mind working at Shorty’s, but she’d prefer to be more on a similar work schedule as Nicole. She doesn’t like coming home in the middle of the night, but she does enjoy being able to climb into bed with the redhead after a long night when she comes back to Nicole’s house after her shift.

“I’ll leave the light on for you after your shift then?” Nicole asks. The pair has grown accustomed to spending their nights together. Waverly would like to say it’s mostly Nicole asking her to stay, but she really doesn’t like sleeping alone anymore. 

“You sure I haven’t overstayed my welcome?” Waverly asks. 

“Never!” Nicole says in a singing tone. She wraps her arms around Waverly, bringing her closer to her body. 

“Fine then,” Waverly says. “Not that it takes a lot to convince me to spend time with you.” She shoots the redhead a playful wink.

“Okay, because I was thinking. You didn’t seem to hate what you saw upstairs,” Nicole says, raising her eyebrows at Waverly.

“You mean when I saw you naked?” Waverly asks. She can’t help but smile at the thought of the small show she got upstairs. Nicole’s skin is pale and smooth. All Waverly could think about was having a chance to finally explore her body. 

“Maybe,” Nicole teases. 

“Yeah, definitely didn’t hate that,” Waverly says.

“Well, maybe that’s incentive enough for you to come back tonight,” Nicole says. Her tone displays major seduction.  

“Baby, you’re incentive enough,” Waverly assures her.  

“You’re too sweet,” Nicole sighs. 

“It comes naturally,” Waverly jokes. Nicole laughs as the comment and shakes her head, playfully, at Waverly. She suddenly lets out a sigh. “What’s wrong?” Waverly asks.

“Do I have to go to work?” Nicole whines. She throws herself back on the couch dramatically. 

“Nicole,” Waverly says with a laugh. 

“You can’t make me,” Nicole continues to protest. 

“Hey,” Waverly says,” pulling the redhead back toward her. “Think of it this way. The sooner you go, the sooner you can come back to me.” 

“But then you’ll be at work!” Nicole groans. 

“I’ll make it up to you.” Waverly kisses Nicole on her jawline, whispering the words into her ear. She hears Nicole’s breath hitch. 

“You’re not helping,” Nicole groans. She stands slowly from the couch, peeling herself from where she was seated. Waverly follows suit and stands up with her. 

“That a girl,” Waverly teases. She playfully taps Nicole on the ass as she follows her into the kitchen. 

“I’ll see you tonight,” Nicole says after tying the laces of her shoes and kissing Waverly quickly on the lips. 

“I’ll be here as soon as I’m off,” Waverly assures her. “Have a good day.”

“Thanks, baby, you too,” Nicole says with a smile. She gives Waverly one more kiss before she opens the door to leave. “I love you.” Waverly smiles back at the redhead. She’s pretty sure she’ll never get sick of hearing those words coming from Nicole’s mouth. 

“I love you too.”

  
  
  
  


_______________

  
  
  
  


Waverly didn't hear much from Nicole all day. They texted back and forth occasionally, but Nicole would tell her that they were keeping her pretty busy at the station and she didn’t have much time to talk. She was hoping to be able to catch Nicole before she had to be at the bar for her shift, but she ended up working longer than anticipated.

A couple of hours into her shift, Waverly catches a customer out of the corner of her eye, sitting alone at one end of the bar. She makes her way toward the person, realizing it was a much more familiar face than she thought. 

“Nicole,” Waverly says, surprised. “What are you doing here?” Nicole glances around her. She appears to be a little uncomfortable. “Are you okay?” Waverly grows concerned. 

“Yeah,” Nicole says, softly. “Long day,” she sighs. “I just needed to see you.” 

“That’s fine,” Waverly smiles. “You can come here at anytime,” she tells her. “Do you want something to drink?” 

“Anything,” she sighs. 

“Coming right up,” Waverly says with a wink. “So how was work? Did you find out what Nedley wanted?” 

“Yeah,” Nicole says.

“That good, huh?” Waverly asks. She is trying to read Nicole to get a better sense of what’s going on. 

“I’m sorry,” Nicole apologizes. “I probably shouldn’t have bothered you at work,” she says. She seems suddenly upset. 

“Nicole, it’s fine.” She places her hand over Nicole’s on top of the bar in attempts to comfort the woman. She slides a glass toward Nicole, offering her the drink she had poured. 

“I’ll tell you at home, I really can’t talk about it here,” Nicole tells her. “I don’t know, being around you just calms me down.”

“Stay as long as you need,” Waverly says with a smile. She excuses herself to take care of other customers at the bar, but she’s sure to continuously glance back at the redhead making sure she’s okay. 

Throughout the night, Nicole nurses the drink that Waverly gave her. She sits at the end of the bar, talking to Waverly when she has a spare moment, otherwise she is mostly glancing through her phone. At one point there is a woman that takes a seat next to Nicole. She looks familiar to Waverly, but she has never spoken to her before. She feels a wave of jealousy flood through her veins. She’s pretty sure Nicole could feel her emotions because the woman soon left her side. 

“Down girl,” Nicole laughs. Waverly pretends like she doesn’t know what she is talking about. “She wanted to play pool, I politely declined.” 

Waverly breathes a sigh of relief before she realizes how ridiculous she was being. If Nicole wanted to play a game of pool with another woman, she could play a game of pool with another woman. She doesn’t own her. “That’s fine, I hardly noticed,” Waverly tells her. Nicole laughs. “What?” Waverly asks. 

“You’re sexy when you’re jealous,” Nicole says with a wink. 

“I’m not jealous!” Waverly priests. “But thank you,” she accepts the compliment. Nicole laughs and shakes her head at the brunette. Waverly continues checking in on her other customers. She eyeballs the other woman, making sure she’s keeping her space from Nicole. She’s pretty sure Nicole catches her a few times and when she does, she just smiles at her, shaking her head. 

  
  
  


_______________

  
  
  


Nicole leaves the bar just before Waverly’s shift ends to allow them to lock up. She hangs back in the parking lot, waiting for Waverly to come out. She tries not to wait too closely to the door in fear of startling her in the dark. 

“Mind giving me a ride home?” Nicole asks. “I may have gotten a ride here.” 

“Good thing I’m coming over,” Waverly says with a grin. Nicole laughs and hops in the passenger side of Waverly’s Jeep. 

When they arrive back at Nicole’s house, Waverly watches as Nicole kicks off her shoes and drops her jacket onto the back of a chair in the kitchen. She pours herself a glass of water and asks if Waverly wants anything. Waverly shakes her head and follows Nicole into the living room where they take a seat on the couch. 

“So there’s going to be a trial,” Nicole finally spits out as if she doesn’t have any control over what she’s saying.

“A trial?” Waverly is confused. She sits down next to Nicole, angling her body to face the redhead as much as possible. 

“Yeah for the shooting,” Nicole explains. Waverly understands now. “I know we haven’t discussed it yet, I wasn't sure what I was allowed to talk about. It’s mostly police business but it’s about to go real public, real fast and I don’t want you to be blindsided. Look, I went on this mission to help another officer, Robert Svane. Turns out he’s more of a double agent. It was supposed to be this big gang/drug bust in the city, they called us in for backup because we were both familiar with the case from our time working in the city. Turns out Robert was a lot more familiar with them than any of us knew. Things seemed to be going well, we were getting so close. We had them, and he turned his gun on me,” Nicole pauses at the memory. She closes her eyes and Waverly places her hand on her thigh, squeezing gently. “He’s apparently claiming friendly fire, denying any allegations of involvement with the gang. But I know what I saw, Waves. I’m not crazy.” 

There’s desperation in Nicole’s voice. Waverly’s feels her heart breaking for the woman she loves as she listens to each word carefully as it leaves her mouth. “I know you’re not, Nicole,” Waverly assures her. 

“I’m sorry this is a lot. And I know you’re here and I appreciate you for that. I’m going to have to testify at the trial and if you can, I’d like you to be there also,” Nicole tells her. Waverly nods right away. There’s no place she’d rather be than by Nicole’s side through anything she needs. 

“I got you. You got this. Whatever you need, Nicole, I’m there. We will get through this,” Waverly assures her. 

Nicole sighs and places her forehead against Waverly’s. “Thank you,” she whispers. They stay like that for a moment before Nicole leans in to kiss the brunette. The kiss is slow and sweet at first. Waverly feels Nicole deepening the kiss and she gladly reciprocates. Nicole moves her hands to the bottom of Waverly’s shirt, bunching up the material in her fists. Waverly takes in a sharp breath at the feeling of Nicole’s hands sliding against her bare skin under her shirt. Nicole’s fingertips slide across the soft skin, her thumbs ghosting just below Waverly’s breasts, brushing ever so lightly against her already hard nipples over her bra. Waverly’s eyes open, she sees Nicole looking back at her with nothing but desire. Waverly feels a sudden urge to have nothing stopping her from feeling Nicole’s body against her own. 

Nicole traces Waverly’s abs with her fingertips as the material lifts higher, revealing more of the brunette’s skin. Waverly wraps her arms around the redhead, pulling her body as close as humanly possible. She feels slight desperation in Nicole’s kiss like she can’t get enough. Her brain goes foggy for a moment as her hands quickly lift Nicole’s shirt over her head. Wasting no time, Waverly removes her own shirt and tosses it on the floor. Nicole laughs at the gesture and leans back in, reconnecting lips with the brunette. 

Hands continue to explore each other’s bodies. They both can’t get enough of each other. The kiss deepens again, quickly, tongues brushing every once in a while. They move from the living room to the kitchen, Nicole leans Waverly against the wall near the stairs. Waverly grunts as Nicole situates her thigh between her own, feeling pressure where she desires it the most in the moment. She leans her head back, as if she was inviting the redhead to leave kisses on her neck. Nicole takes the silent invite, quickly, and leaves a trail of warm kisses down the brunette’s sensitive skin. In a smooth motion, Nicole reaches behind Waverly, unclasping her bra. Waverly shifts to allow it to fall freely from her body. It lands on her fingertips and she tosses it on the stairs. 

Her hands desperately reach around Nicole’s body, needing to remove more clothing as quickly as possible. She’s sure her movements were much less smooth than Nicole’s, but the redhead doesn’t seem to notice. She gladly removes the rest of her bra from her body. Waverly takes a small step back, just enough to gaze in awe at the woman’s body. Nicole looks down at herself as if she’s embarrassed, giving Waverly a soft smile. Waverly smiles back at her, lovingly, attempting to comfort any vulnerability that Nicole is feeling. She presses her body against Nicole’s. Her bare skin is fire against the other woman’s. Waverly brings her hand to the back of Nicole’s neck, kissing her with a hunger she only has for the redhead.

“Upstairs,” Nicole breathes out in between kisses. Waverly nods in response as if it was more of a question than a statement. She turns and heads for the stairs, stepping over the discarded clothing left behind. Nicole follows closely behind her, taking Waverly’s hand and spinning her back around to face her once they’ve reached the bedroom.  As their lips connect again, Waverly begins to fumble with the button on Nicole’s jeans. Much to her surprise, it comes undone easily and she immediately starts to unzip the zipper, tooth by tooth. 

Nicole doesn’t fight it. She wiggles her hips to help Waverly as she pulls at the material in desperation. Waverly pulls away from the kiss long enough to lower her body, sliding the redhead’s pants fully down her legs. Nicole kicks at the material, removing them completely from her body. Waverly doesn’t waste any time removing her own pants from her body. She has a need to feel every bit of the redhead’s body against her own and wants nothing blocking them in between. 

Waverly tugs at the last piece of clothing that left her from seeing all of Nicole. Nicole’s underwear falls to the floor and she kicks it from her feet with ease. Waverly leads Nicole to the bed, sitting her down facing her. She is ready to take control of the situation for the first time in their relationship and it is hard for her to think straight. All she wants to do is feel and taste the redhead so badly, it is hard for her to slow herself down. 

Nicole sits on the bed, looking up at Waverly, desire in her eyes. She lays backwards on her back, fully exposed. Waverly doesn’t take long before she joins her on the bed, hovering over the redhead’s body. She wants to speak, but can’t find the words. Instead she decides to show Nicole what she is thinking.

She trails a path with her warm lips down the redhead’s body, starting with her neck. As she makes her way further down her body, she’s careful to stop and explore Nicole’s body further. She notices a scar along the redhead’s rib cage that she never knew existed. She doesn’t know the story, but lays a soft kiss in its place with an understanding of the journey that Nicole went on before this moment. She notices a small birthmark near the woman’s navel. She runs her finger over it slowly, looking up into the soft brown eyes that are watching her every move. 

When she arrives at Nicole’s inner thighs, she takes her time, running her fingers down the warm, soft skin followed by a trail of kisses. Waverly allows her tongue to trace the outline of Nicole’s inner thighs as well, causing her to become more undone. She grins as the redhead’s hips began to buck further up into her kisses. Her eyes were full of desperation and before she could beg for it, Waverly places her hands on either side of Nicole’s hips to brace herself and steady the redhead as she trusts her tongue into Nicole. The redhead lets out a deep moan, causing Waverly to hum with pleasure as she begins to lick circles with her tongue. 

Nicole runs her fingers through Waverly’s hair and she feels the redhead pulling her impossibly closer to her body. Waverly feels herself becoming more turned on as she feels Nicole’s hips begin to move at a rhythm with her tongue as she continues to lick, suck and dive as deeply as possible into her girlfriend. When Waverly starts to feel Nicole losing control, she slips two fingers inside of her, continuing the rhythm she had previously created. 

It’s not long before she feels Nicole’s hips moving less at a rhythm and more out of a release. Her hips quickly trust into the air, toward Waverly. She holds them there for a moment, a loud moan escaping from her lips, before dropping her body back down onto the bed. Waverly feels Nicole’s body start to come back to a calmer state and she slowly removes her hand. She licks gently for a moment before she’s being tugged on by Nicole, gesturing for her to come back up to her face. 

Nicole immediately pulls Waverly into a kiss as soon as she is close enough. Waverly moans softly into Nicole’s mouth as they kiss for a moment. Nicole drops back onto the bed, catching her breath. Waverly lays next to her, tracing shapes on Nicole’s bare skin with her fingers. “Wow,” Nicole manages to finally say. Waverly smiles out of pride and kisses Nicole on the cheek. They lay in silence for a moment as Nicole steadies her breath. Waverly enjoys the moment of silence as they lay together, impossibly close. 

  
  
  


________________

  
  
  
  


There’s a knock on the door the next morning. Nicole is confused, unsure of who would show up at her house before 10am on her day off. She throws a sweatshirt over her head and slides on a pair of boxers before she makes her way to the door. She swings the door open to find Wynonna waiting on the other side, looking like she was about to knock again.

“Wynonna?” Nicole asks, confused. “What are you doing here?”

“Do I need a reason to come see my best friend?” Wynonna asks. She steps by Nicole and into the house. “I assume my sister is here too.” She glances around the room a bit. Nicole tries to quickly kick the discarded clothes from the night before out of the way before Wynonna notices. 

“She’s probably still in bed,” Nicole says, glancing toward the stairs. She sees Waverly’s bra draped over the railing on the stairs and she cringes a little, hoping Wynonna doesn’t see.

“Redecorating?” Wynonna teases, gesturing toward the article of clothing. Nicole quickly moves to the stairs, grabbing the bra and holding it behind her back. The sound of Waverly coming down the stairs comes from behind her. She turns to see Waverly glancing back and forth between Wynonna and the bra that’s behind Nicole’s back. Her cheeks grow red and Nicole gives her a sympathetic look. “Just let me know where I can and cannot sit,” Wynonna says with a smirk.

“Shut up, Wynonna,” Waverly huffs as she takes the bra from Nicole’s hand and tosses it up to the top of the stairs. “I’ll get it later,” she tells Nicole. Nicole nods back at her. 

“Glad to see Haught stuff is feeling better, that’s all,” Wynonna continues to tease them. 

“What are you doing here?” Waverly huffs. She’s annoyed with her sister’s banter, mostly because she wanted to spend the morning alone with her girlfriend. 

“Why does everyone keep asking me that?” Wynonna asks. 

“It’s early,” Waverly tells her. “Since when do you get up before noon on a day off?” 

“Well, maybe I miss my best friend and my sister. You two are always so busy playing house together that I’m pretty sure you forgot I existed!” Wynonna groans. 

“Wynonna,” Waverly argues. “You’re rarely ever away from us,” she laughs. 

“But not separately!” Wynonna whines. “You two are never apart from each other!” 

“Well, excuse us for wanting to spend time together while we finally can!” Waverly argues back. 

“Haught promised me a reschedule of best friends night and I never got that!” Wynonna tells her, gesturing back toward Nicole. 

Nicole looks at Waverly, sympathetically. “She is right.” She shrugs her shoulders. 

“Alright, alright! I’ll leave!” Waverly says, throwing her hands in the air. 

“No!” Nicole wraps her arms around Waverly pulling her close causing Waverly to laugh.

“You two make me sick,” Wynonna groans. 

“Don’t be dramatic, Wynonna,” Waverly laughs. “Look, I’ll let you two have your best friends night. It’s not like I’m so attached I have to spend every night with my girlfriend!”

“But what if I am?” Nicole pouts, playfully. 

“Remember when you liked spending time with me?” Wynonna groans. 

“I’m just kidding!” Nicole laughs. 

“Then I’m only slightly hurt,” Wynonna says, pointing a finger at Nicole. 

“You’ll come back later tonight though?” Nicole asks 

“Man, Haught, you really are whipped,” Wynonna teases. 

“Shut up,” Nicole snaps.

“I can if you want me to,” Waverly tells her. Nicole leans over and whispers something in Waverly's ear causing Wynonna to let out a fake gag. 

“Oh, gross,” she whines. “Can’t you dirty talk elsewhere? It’s bad enough I just walked into some sort of sexual war zone that you forgot to clean up!”

“You didn’t really give us time…” Waverly trails off.

“Yeah, sure, we’ll talk over here,” Nicole says, pulling Waverly’s hand and dragging her around the corner. She pins her against the wall in the living room where Wynonna can just barely still see them. 

“This is why I need separate time with you two so I don’t puke!” Wynonna tells them. 

“She’s just kidding, Wynonna!” Waverly laughs. “You can have my girl tonight, but you better behave,” she warns.  

“Hey, I’m off my meds now, you know, so who knows what trouble I’ll get into,” Nicole teases. Waverly gives her a warning look. “I’m kidding!” Nicole puts her hands out in front of her defensively. 

“I’ll keep her on lock, babygirl,” Wynonna assures her.  

“That sounds terrifying,” Waverly admits, shaking her head at the pair. Wynonna playfully high fives Nicole behind Waverly’s back and she shoots them both another warning look. 


	8. No Matter What

“See this is nice right? Like the good old times?” Wynonna asks as she hands Nicole a drink. Nicole looks at the glass suspiciously, unsure if she should just trust it and takes a sip. “Except you’re actually shagging my sister now instead of just eye fucking her every time she comes in the station.”

Nicole chokes a little on the drink in response to the comment. “You really want to go into this right now?” 

Wynonna swigs down more alcohol. “Yeah, not really. How’s everything else going? I know Nedley brought you in this morning.”

“To talk about the trial,” Nicole says. Wynonna stops what she’s doing and looks back at the redhead. “Yeah,” Nicole says. “I told Waverly.”

Wynonna isn’t surprised. She nods at the redhead and moves closer to her, placing a friendly hand on her shoulder. “I had to, Wynonna,” Nicole says, her tone is full of desperation and exhaustion. 

“I know,” Wynonna says, softly. “How did she take it?” 

“She was patient and understanding,” Nicole explains.  “That’s all she’s been since the start of all of this. She deserves so much better than this,” she sighs as she moves away from the brunette. She takes her drink with her and sits down on the couch. 

“Don’t,” Wynonna says, following after her. “Don’t do that!” She calls out. “You and I both know she’s not treating you like some pitty case and you better not be either,” the older Earp warns. 

“I know, I know,” Nicole sighs. She takes a sip of the drink, choking back whatever concoction is in the cup. 

“Look, you’re going to get through this, okay?” Wynonna says as she sits down on the couch with Nicole. “You have me and Waverly and everyone else at the police station. We’re on your side. Were not letting you go down without a fight. I promise you this will all be over soon and everything is going to get back to the way it should be.”

“Thanks, Wynonna,” Nicole says with a smile. “How about we just don’t focus on it tonight? This is our first best friends night since the incident and now I can finally drink again.” 

“You’re not a lightweight now, are you?” Wynonna asks, raising an eyebrow in her direction. 

“I guess we’ll find out!” Nicole says as she downs the rest of the liquid in the cup before standing up to make herself another drink. 

 

  
  


———————-

 

When Waverly makes it to her house, she’s not sure what to do with herself. She spends most nights with Nicole and has barely been alone since she’s been back. Not that she’s complaining, she understands why Wynonna keeps making jokes about them moving in together. She basically lives there anyway. 

She decides to spend her night watching Netflix and eating Chinese take out, something she used to do before she was with Nicole. Now that she thinks about it, it’s pathetic how many nights she spent like that. But it’s nice to go back to that every once in a while. 

After watching a couple romantic comedies and eating what she can of the Chinese food, she decides to send Nicole a text to see how the night is going. She tries not to worry about leaving her alone with her sister, but she knows how Wynonna can be. On the other hand, she knows this is something they used to do before she came into the picture, so how bad can it be?

  
  
  


————————-

  
  
  


“And do you remember the time we pulled all those pranks on the guys at the station?” Wynonna snorts out a laugh as she takes another swig of her drink. 

Nicole laughs loudly as she remembers. She leans back on the couch, taking another sip of her drink. “I thought Nedley was going to kill us when he found out it was us!” She laughs. 

“Man, I’m surprised he hasn’t killed us by now!” Wynonna continues laughing. 

“Let’s be real, that man has a soft spot for us,” Nicole says. 

“You mean for you,” Wynonna corrects her. “He’d have me gone for all that shit if it wasn’t for you!” 

“Well, if it wasn’t for you,” Nicole says. She points a finger toward Wynonna. “I’m not sure where I’d be,” Nicole admits. 

“Oh no, Haught,” Wynonna protests. “Don’t be getting all soft on me!” Nicole laughs and throws a pillow at her, spilling the drink out of the brunette’s hand. 

“Shit!” Nicole says, letting out a laugh. She stumbles into the kitchen to grab a towel to clean up the drink. She drops it on the puddle, bending over to wipe it up. 

“Nice one,” Wynonna calls out as she gets up to get another drink. Nicole’s phone starts to buzz on the coffee table, bringing Nicole’s attention in that direction. “Man, can’t my sister leave you alone for one night?” Wynonna huffs when she returns to the room, seeing Nicole looking down at her phone with a smile on her face. 

“How do you know it’s your sister?” Nicole asks, looking up at Wynonna. 

“That giant grin on your face better not be for anyone else. I’d have to kick your ass,” Wynonna warns. 

“I thought we were best friends?” Nicole asks. 

“Sisters trump all, sorry bro,” Wynonna tells her. Nicole laughs. 

“That’s fair,” Nicole shrugs. “It is your sister,” she assures her. She glances back down at her phone when it buzzes again in her hand. She opens another text and her eyes widen. 

“Are you two never not horny?” Wynonna groans, insinuating that she knows why Nicole’s face changed so quickly. 

“It’s nothing,” Nicole says quickly as she locks her phone screen and sets it down on the coffee table. She finishes cleaning up the spill and sits back down on the couch. 

“Convincing,” Wynonna says sarcastically. “You guys are gross.”

“I love her, Wynonna,” Nicole says, more seriously. 

“I know, I know,” Wynonna says. Truth is, she couldn’t think of anyone better for either of them.

  
  


 

————————-

  
  


Waverly decides to take a hot bath to relax after watching movies. She receives a few texts back from Nicole and the later it gets, the more she can tell the redhead has been drinking. 

When she’s been soaking long enough, she climbs out to dry off, but not before snapping a picture to send to Nicole to show her how her night is going. She laughs when she receives a text of a bunch of scrambled letters, unable to tell if she was actually trying to type out real words or not. 

She asks her how her night with her sister is going. Nicole responds with few word sentences and Waverly is impressed when she spells them right. Nicole begins asking when she’s coming back over. Waverly tells her she can if she wants her to, but she doesn’t want to interrupt best friends night. Nicole continues to ask when she’s coming back until Waverly finally gives in.    
  


 

 

————————-

  
  


“Are you done sexting yet?” Wynonna whines at Nicole, looking down at the phone in her hand. Nicole looks up from her phone, setting it down in her lap.

“I’m not sexting, the redhead laughs. 

“She’s coming back over soon isn’t she?” Wynonna asks. Nicole doesn’t speak, she just nods. Wynonna shakes her head at the redhead. “You’re so soft.” Nicole just laughs and nods her head in agreement. 

The have a few more drinks in the time it takes Waverly to make it over to Nicole’s house. Waverly doesn’t knock, she just uses her key and unlocks the door, walking right in. The scene she finds when she walks in makes her laugh. Nicole is sitting on the couch, leaning on the arm and Wynonna is laying on the floor with her feet up on the couch. Waverly laughs, shaking her head at the pair as she enters the room. 

“There’s my girl!” Nicole calls out as she stands up from the couch, making her way over to Waverly. The brunette is smacked in the face with the strong scent of liquor. 

“Oh, you’re drunk,” Waverly says with a laugh. She wraps her arms around Nicole’s torso, feeling the redhead melt into her arms.

“Only slightly,” Nicole says in a hushed tone, using her fingers to gesture a small amount. 

“Haught still has it in her, I’m proud,” Wynonna calls out from the floor. Waverly laughs and shakes her head at her sister.

“So you guys had fun?” Waverly asks. Nicole nods her head before resting it on Waverly’s shoulder. 

“You know what’s not going to be fun?” she asks. 

“Tomorrow morning!” Wynonna cheers. Nicole snorts out a laugh and points at Wynonna. 

“Ding ding ding!” she calls out. 

Not much time passes before the pair decides it’s probably best that they stop drinking and call it a night. Waverly helps Wynonna off the floor and sets her up on the couch for the night after refusing to give her the keys to her truck. Wynonna doesn’t protest much and once she hits the couch, she seems to be comfortable enough to fall asleep.

“Thanks for letting me have your girl for the night, Waves,” Wynonna says, taking Waverly’s hand in her own. 

“You’re welcome,” Waverly says, shooting her sister a wink before she turns to help Nicole up the stairs. It’s easier to get the redhead upstairs than she thinks it’s going to be. 

“Did you have fun tonight?” Waverly asks as she sees Nicole fall face first into the bed. She laughs and climbs in next to her. 

“I really did,” Nicole says, rolling over to face the brunette. “I know she can pick on us a lot but I do miss spending time with her,” she admits. 

“She’s pretty great,” Waverly says with a smile. 

“I did miss you though,” Nicole tells her, laying a kiss on her temple. “Thanks for that photo though,” she grins at the brunette. 

“I just wanted to keep you updated on my night,” Waverly says with a wink. 

“Oh yeah, sure,” Nicole says, not believing that Waverly’s intentions were innocent. “It looked relaxing though,” she admits.  

“It was. I’d kill for a long hot bath some days,” Waverly sighs. She’s rolls over onto her stomach and pulls a pillow close to her chest underneath her. Nicole sits up next to her rubbing her back softly, moving into the muscles more. Waverly lets out a sigh, relaxing under her touch.

“Have I ever told you how amazing you are?” Nicole says. 

“Are you trying to seduce me?” Waverly asks, raising an eyebrow.  Nicole starts using two hands to massage, causing Waverly to melt more into her touch. 

“Is it working?” Nicole asks. “I’m kidding, seriously though, Waves. You’re incredible.” 

“Do you get sappy when you drink?” Waverly asks. 

“Sometimes,” Nicole laughs. “I had a bit of a heart to heart with your sister tonight.” Waverly rolls over to make eye contact with the redhead. 

“How did that go?” She asks, giving Nicole her full attention. 

“Good, I made her change the subject,” she laughs. “I don’t know, babe, it’s just so much is happening right now and I don’t know what to do with it,” Nicole tells her. Waverly’s heart breaks for the redhead. “They offered me counseling. I didn’t give them an answer.”

“What do you think about it?” Waverly asks. She moves her hand to Nicole’s knee, running soft circles with her thumb. 

“I’ve tried counseling in the past. It helped. I just thought I’d be able to take care of it all on my own, you know?” Nicole says. 

“There’s nothing wrong with needing help, Nicole,” Waverly tells her. 

“I mean, I have you,” Nicole says with a shrug. Waverly can tell Nicole knows she’s not being convincing. 

“Nicole, I love you and I’m here for you,” Waverly tells her. “But we both know I’m not a counselor and I’m super biased here,” she laughs. 

Nicole groans. “Come on,” she laughs. Waverly gives her a warning look. Nicole sighs and lays back down next to the brunette. 

“When is the trial going to be?” Waverly asks. 

“A few months?” Nicole shrugs. “There’s a process first, but they wanted me to be aware of what was going to happen,” she explains. “So now I stress about it for the next few months.” 

Waverly gives her a sympathetic look. “So what happens from there?” She asks. 

“Ideally, he’s found guilty and it’s over,” Nicole says.  “Well, you know what I mean. I think I’ll be dealing with it for a while, but I won’t have to worry about him.”

“Do you have to worry about him now?” Waverly asks, concerned. 

“Oh, no. He’s not getting out,” Nicole assures her. 

Waverly lets out a sigh, pulling the redhead closer to her body. She’d give anything to take Nicole’s pain away for her, but she knows she’s not going to be able to help in all the ways she needs it. She doesn’t want to make the redhead feel pressured to seek outside help, but she does think it would be good for her. 

  
  
  


————————-

  
  


The closer they got to the trial, the more anxious Nicole becomes. Waverly has become very keen on reading Nicole’s body language, knowing when to be there for her and when to provide her with a little more space. She starts to become pretty anxious herself when she starts thinking about Nicole testifying. She knows this is one of the last step before this is all over and she hopes that it will give Nicole some closure finally. It had been nearly six months since she was shot and she’s sure Nicole was ready to move past it. 

“Coffee?” Waverly asks as Nicole descends down the stairs to meet her in the kitchen the morning of the trial. Nicole smiles and nods at her girlfriend, leaning down to kiss her on the cheek. She picks up the morning paper from the counter and takes the mug of hot coffee from Waverly. 

“Thanks, baby,” Nicole says before she takes a seat at the table. She silently flips through the paper for a few moments. Waverly watches her, not speaking, until Nicole finally feels her looking at her and puts the paper down. “Is everything okay?” 

“Yeah,” Waverly says. 

“Are you sure you’re okay with coming to the trial?” Nicole asks. 

Waverly doesn’t hesitate before responding with, “yes, of course.” 

“I just want you to know you’re going to see and hear things that might be a little...unsettling,” Nicole says.  “You can leave if you need, take breaks. I’m used to this sort of thing, I just don’t want you to become overwhelmed. Just know I’m okay now and I’m here.”

“I know,” Waverly says. “I’m supposed to be comforting you, not the other way around,” she tells her. 

“We can comfort each other,” Nicole says with a smile. She slides her chair back a little further away from the table and gestures for Waverly to sit in her lap. 

“Deal,” Waverly says, sitting down on the redhead’s lap. 

“Man, I just can’t wait for this day to be over,” Nicole sighs. She wraps her arms around Waverly’s waist and rests her chin against her shoulder. 

“Hey, I got you okay?” Waverly says. She rubs Nicole’s arm softly with her hand. Nicole nods. 

“I know,” she says. 

“You and me, no matter what,” Waverly reminds her. 

“No matter what,” Nicole sighs, placing a kiss against Waverly’s back. 

“Just look at me if you need to,” Waverly tells her. She turns to face her more. “I’ll be right there. No one else in that room will matter if you don’t let them. Don’t look at him. He doesn’t matter.”

Nicole nods. Waverly leans down and kisses the redhead on the forehead, whispering that she loves her. They sit in silence for a few more moments before Nicole tells her that she better leave soon so she can meet with Nedley before the trial.  Waverly agrees and stands up from her lap. They share a kiss before Waverly watches the love of her life leave the house. 

  
  
  


————————-

 

 

The courtroom is lined with more officers than Waverly expects. She’s not sure why she expected less. Nicole is one of the most respected officers that Purgatory has had in a long time. Even through her insecurities, Nicole knows how much they cared about her. Waverly thinks back to her going away party that was full of the same officers that were there to see her off. 

Wynonna enters the room and takes a seat next to Waverly. She lets out a breath she didn’t know she was holding when she feels the weight of her sister pressing gently against her side. She looks over and smiles at her sister. Wynonna smiles back and places her hand on Waverly’s leg, squeezing gently, letting her know she was there for her. 

“How is she?” Wynonna asks. 

“I haven't seen her in a bit,” Waverly admits. “But she was pretty anxious this morning.”

“How are you?” Wynonna whispers. Waverly stops in her thoughts. She has been so busy worrying about Nicole that she forgot to stop and think about how she is. How is she? The woman she loves was shot on a police mission by someone she trusted. She’s been haunted by this for months. She can’t imagine exactly how Nicole has felt about it but she knows how she feels about it. She’s furious. She’s upset. She’s straight up pissed off that something like this happened to someone as good as Nicole. But she’s also proud. She’s proud of Nicole for overcoming what she has. She’s proud of her for taking the stand today to tell her story. A story she is about to hear more details about than she ever has before. She’s going to see evidence that she’s not sure she’s ready to see. She might be okay right now, but is she going to stay that way?

“I’m here,” Waverly says, she tries to muster a smile but it doesn’t last long. 

“Hey,” Wynonna says. She squeezes her sister’s leg again. “This is the end of it, okay?” Wynonna says. 

“And what if it doesn’t go the way we think it will?” Waverly asks. She doesn’t want to ask that question, but it’s still in the back of her head. 

“We’re not going to consider that as an option, babygirl, okay?” Wynonna says. “This is the end. Nicole deserves this to be the end. You deserve it. This is just a part of the story, but it’s not the whole thing. You two are going to walk out of this courthouse today with your heads a little higher because heroes always win, right? That’s what you always tell me.”

“They do,” Waverly agrees. 

“And the two of you are going to continue on and be all gross and in love. It’s what you do best,” Wynonna says, nudging her sister in the arm. 

“Thanks, Wynonna,” Waverly says. She sighs and leans further into her sister’s arm.    
  
  


As the trial goes on, the evidence is presented. There are photographs and details that Waverly thought she had prepared herself for. She feels herself becoming suddenly warm and pulls at the collar of her shirt. Her sister glances over to see if she’s okay, but she doesn’t turn to look at her. Suddenly the sound of everything happening in the courtroom fades and flashes of memories play in Waverly’s mind. She sees the look on Wynonna’s face when she got the phone call that Nicole was shot, she sees Nedley looking sick to his stomach as he fills Wynonna in about what was happening, she sees Nicole laying in the hospital bed, unresponsive. She feels a sudden sharp pain in her chest and she lifts her hand to put pressure on it. 

“You need a break?” Wynonna whispers. She feels her sister leaning in closer to her and the sounds of the courtroom come flooding back into her ears. 

“Huh?” Waverly asks. She turns to look at Wynonna, who looks concerned. 

“I’m okay,” Waverly says. She tries to keep her breathing steady in order to remain calm through the overwhelming feelings. She doesn’t feel that she’s being convincing enough because she feels Wynonna take her hand in her own and squeeze it tighter than expected. 

  
  


Waverly isn’t sure how much time has passed when the court calls for a recess for the jury to deliberate. She stands up in front of where she was sitting and stretches her muscles that have become stiff from sitting for so long. She makes her way out of the courtroom with her sister and excuses herself to the bathroom. She catches a concerned look on Wynonna’s face as the bathroom door swings closed behind her. 

Part of her expects her sister to come barging into the bathroom behind her, but she doesn’t. Waverly stands in front of one of the bathroom sinks, looking  at her reflection in the mirror. She cringes at her appearance. She is dressed nicely, but the dark rings around her eyes are definitely not working in her favor. She splashed some water on her face and takes a deep breath in, letting it out slowly. 

It takes a lot for her to stand up straight again and make her way back out of the bathroom. When she does, she lets out another deep breath before turning to exit the bathroom.

She’s not surprised to find her sister leaning against the wall outside the bathroom when she exits. Wynonna doesn’t say anything to her at first, she just looks her up and down, making sure she’s okay. Waverly nods at her and they return back to the court room together. They sit back down in their seats and Waverly watches as the jury files back into the room. She watches them, one by one, all keeping completely straight faces, displaying no emotion at all. She imagines what it’s like to be in their position right now. The fate of a man in their hands, she feels like even if she could keep a straight face during this, she’d be screaming on the inside. Truthfully, that’s exactly what’s happening to her right now. 

She feels Wynonna place her hand back on her leg, squeezing it to let her know she’s there. Waverly breaks her stare with the jury and turns back toward her sister. “Sorry,” she whispers. 

“Why are you apologizing, babygirl?” Wynonna asks. 

“I just,” she pauses to gather her thoughts. She doesn’t really know what to say. She doesn’t know what to feel. Honestly, she feels like everything is crashing in on her and she doesn’t know what to do about it. Every word that comes out of the jury’s mouth in the next ten minutes could make or break everything and she’s not sure if she’s ready for that, but at the same time she says, “I just want to get it over with.”

Wynonna nods in agreement and wraps her arm around Waverly, pulling her closer to her body. They sit in silence as court is brought back into session. The next ten minutes seem to go by extremely slowly as they wait for the jury to present their decision. Waverly listens carefully to every word they say as they review each charge, saying that they found him guilty of all charges. Waverly breathes a sigh of relief as she feels a giant weight lifted from her shoulders. She looks to see Nicole, who is still sitting toward the front of the courtroom. She sees the redhead’s drop toward the floor and the arm of Randy Nedley wrap around her shoulder. She can see Nicole bring her hands to her face and she wants nothing more than to run to her and wrap her arms around her. 

She doesn’t get to do this until later. Nicole goes back to the police station with the other officers before she is able to go back to her house. Wynonna agrees to go back with Waverly, the pair making their way to Nicole’s house to greet her there.

  
  
  


——————-

  
  
  


When Nicole arrives home, about an hour later, she is greeted by Waverly and Wynonna. The sisters are quiet and quite exhausted, but they both greet her with open arms. Nicole gives Wynonna a hug and Waverly watches until Nicole pulls away and makes her way over to her. Waverly gives her an empathetic look and opens her arms, finally being able to hold the woman she loves after the long day that they’ve had. 

Nicole melts into the brunette’s arms, dropping her head to her shoulder. “I can’t believe it’s over,” she says, almost in a whisper, next to Waverly’s ear. Tears start to fall from Nicole’s eyes. They’re uncontrolled and she doesn’t try to stop them. Waverly continues to hold her in her arms, no questions asked, no words spoken. 

They remain like that for a few more moments before Nicole stands fully and moves away a little. She takes in a deep breath and closes her eyes for a moment before she lets it back out. She looks over at Wynonna, then back toward Waverly. “Is anyone else starving?” she asks. 

The Earp sisters can’t help but laugh, causing Nicole to laugh as well. It’s the first time Waverly has seen Nicole laugh since that morning and it’s the most beautiful thing she’s ever seen. “Let’s get some food,” she says, taking Nicole’s hand in her own and kissing it gently. Wynonna nods in agreement. 

  
  
  


——————-

  
  
  


That night, Waverly and Nicole are laying in bed, still wrapped in each other’s arms. Nicole hasn’t left Waverly’s side for the majority of the night and she’s laying closer to her in bed than normal, which Waverly doesn’t mind. Waverly rolls over so she is facing the redhead on her side, Nicole lays on her back. Waverly takes Nicole’s hand in her own, playing with her fingers, focused on her hand for a moment. 

She can’t stop thinking about the trial and the events of the day. She can’t believe that Nicole has been going through most of this without being able to tell her for so long. She feels guilty for not being able to be there for her to the best of her ability, but she knows it isn’t her fault. All she can think about now is how happy she is to be done with the worst part. Now they can finally move on. Together. 

“Will you move in with me?” Nicole’s voice breaks Waverly from her thoughts. She looks up at the redhead’s face, unsure if she heard her correctly. This still hasn't been anything they’ve talked about yet. 

“What?” Waverly asks to make sure she heard her correctly. 

“Move in with me,” Nicole says, this time it’s less of a question and more of a statement. 

“It’s been a crazy day,” Waverly says. “Are you sure you know what you’re asking?” she laughs. 

“I know exactly what I’m asking,” Nicole says with a smile. “You’re here most nights anyway,” she says. “Waverly Earp, I’m so crazy in love with you and I don’t want to be without you. Life’s short. You never know what could happen. But all I do know is I want my life with you in it for as long as you’ll have me. I’m not asking you to commit the rest of your days to me, I’m just offering to share my home with you and make it ours.”

Waverly can’t help but smile back at the redhead. She doesn’t see her life with anyone else. Whenever she thinks about the future, she no longer thinks of one without Nicole in it. The idea of moving in with someone might scare her, but she realizes that the idea of losing Nicole scares her more. 

“Okay,” she says with a grin before leaning in for a kiss. “I’ll move in with you.”


	9. Only For The Rest Of My Life

Waverly manages to recruit Wynonna, with little protest, to help her move into Nicole’s house. Wynonna tells her it’s because she wants her out of the house quicker, but she knows deep down that her sister is going to miss her. Hell, she’s going to miss Wynonna. But she knows moving in with Nicole means that she will see her sister probably more than she is welcomed there. 

“Alright, Haught,” Wynonna says as she plops down on the couch after carrying one box of Waverly’s belongings into the house. “You still have time to change your mind. You sure you want to keep her?” she teases. 

Waverly looks back at Nicole after quickly shooting a glare toward her sister. Nicole smiles down at the brunette and wraps her arms around Waverly’s shoulders. “I’ll keep her,” she says, giving Waverly a wink. Waverly smiles and wraps her arms around Nicole’s waist. 

“Man, you two have those heart eyes down to a science,” Wynonna groans. “Excuse me while I throw up in my mouth a little.” 

Waverly shakes her head at her sister. “I can’t help it,” she says, grinning at Nicole. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Wynonna huffs. “You guys are precious,” she says sarcastically. 

“If you want to get away from us quicker, maybe you could help bring in more than one box,” Waverly suggests. 

“Nah,” Wynonna says, shrugging her shoulders and reaching for the remote to turn the TV on.

The rest of the move goes rather quickly. Waverly doesn’t have very many belongings. They get her settled into the space without many problems. Nicole has already cleared out spaces for her clothes in the bedroom in preparation for the move. 

The first month of living together is like a fairytale. Waverly didn’t think it would be much different than before since she spends most nights at Nicole’s anyway, but there was something about being able to call the place home that she enjoyed. 

Life has calmed down a great deal since the trial ended. Nicole is still working through things emotionally, and has agreed to see a therapist to have someone else to talk to. Waverly feels that it’s really been helping and she’s been showing improvement. They haven’t had many more fights that are emotionally fueled by what happened with the shooting, they mostly just bicker here and there, what Waverly likes to consider ‘normal’ relationship fights. 

 

 

“Waverly have you seen my wallet?” Nicole calls from across the house at her girlfriend. Waverly is in the kitchen making coffee. She glanced around the room a little, but doesn’t see it at first glance. 

“Where did you put it?” She calls back. She’s tired that morning, they stayed in bed a little longer than usual and she was having trouble moving to get ready for the day. 

“I handed it to you when we got home the other day,” Nicole says as she peeks her head in the doorway of the kitchen. Waverly narrows her eyes at the redhead.  

“The other day?” She asks. “You haven’t had it since then?” She asks. She has trouble believing Nicole hasn’t touched her wallet in days.

“No, maybe that was yesterday,” Nicole corrects herself. Waverly can see her trying to think. “I gave it to you right?” She asks, this time a little less accusatory. 

“Nicole, I didn’t touch your wallet!” Waverly huffs. She’s starting to get frustrated with the redhead but takes a deep breath, regaining her patience. 

“Ugh!” She hears Nicole groan and run back up the stairs. She turns and heads upstairs after her. When she makes it to the bedroom, she sees no one tearing the room apart a little.

“Baby, relax for a second and take a minute to retrace your steps,” Waverly says, calmly. 

“I don’t have time!” Nicole yells. “I’m already late because we overslept,” she tells her as she keeps looking. 

“Okay, this isn’t my fault,” Waverly says, putting her hands out defensively. 

“I didn’t say it was your fault!” Nicole retorts as she walks by the brunette and into another room upstairs. 

“You just said I had your wallet!” Waverly calls after her. 

Nicole pops her head out of the other room, waving her wallet in the air a little. “Found it,” Nicole says, an apologetic look on her face. Waverly starts to laugh. “Why are you laughing?” Nicole asks, confused. 

“Because,” she says as she makes her way over to Nicole. “We’re having a stupid fight.” She wraps her arms around the redhead’s waist. 

“And that’s funny?” Nicole asks, clearly still confused.  

“It’s nice,” Waverly says with a smile. 

“I don’t think I follow,” Nicole says.  

“Our entire relationship has been full of heavy topics, more than most couples go through in a lifetime,” Waverly explains. “You know how long I’ve waited to have a fight with you about a wallet?”

Nicole laughs. “Well, you’re welcome then,” she says with a grin before kissing Waverly softly on the lips. 

“You were still being an ass,” Waverly warns when they pull away, pointing a warning finger toward her. 

“I’m sorry,” Nicole says, apologetically. She presses a soft kiss on Waverly’s lips. 

“Apology accepted,” Waverly says with a smile. “Now get to work before you’re late,” she says with a wink. Nicole laughs and shakes her head at the brunette before she descends back down the stairs. 

  
  
  
  


____________

  
  
  
  


Winter rolls in rather fast in Purgatory and the holiday season is approaching fairly quickly. It’s the first holiday season they get to spend together and Waverly is excited to be able to spend it with Nicole. They spend a night in mid December decorating the house for Christmas. Waverly didn’t want to wait that long, but she decided to reel it in a little for their first Christmas together, attempting not to scare Nicole away that quickly. 

On Christmas Eve, they spend the night with just the two of them. They watch Christmas movies together, which Waverly is pretty sure she enjoys more than Nicole but she never complains once. They wake up Christmas morning to Wynonna at their house already, which is more shocking to Nicole than Waverly. She probably won’t admit it, but Wynonna gets more excited about Christmas than Waverly does. Waverly gives Nicole even more credit for putting up with the two of them on Christmas day than just her. 

Later that night, Wynonna finally goes home, leaving the pair alone in their home together. They settle in on the couch, Waverly lets Nicole choose the movie. They don’t pay much attention to the movie, they spend more time talking to each other instead. 

“So do you have any New Year’s resolutions?” Waverly asks Nicole. There’s less than a week left until the end of the year and Waverly is becoming more and more excited to start a new year with Nicole, moving on from everything that happened over the past year. 

“To do the year over again?” Nicole laughs. Waverly gives her a confused look. 

“Why would you want to do that?” she asks. She takes a seat next to Nicole on the couch, leaving little space between the two of them. Nicole leans into her a little more.  

“I mean, not in the same way, but like a fresh start,” Nicole tries to explain.

“Isn’t that what a new year is for?” Waverly asks. She laughs a little. 

“Yeah, but I feel like most of this year was a bust, you know?” Nicole asks. “Like we could go back and relive it the way we would want. Like we’d start the year with a kiss at midnight. I know it’s cliche, but we secretly don’t hate cliche,” she continues. Waverly can’t help but smile at the vision Nicole begins to paint for her. “Then I get super cheesy on Valentines Day after you told me I didn’t have to make a big deal out of it. I do it anyway and you love it. I cook you food and we stay in because restaurants are way too crowded that night. We watch cheesy romantic movies and end up slow dancing in the middle of the living room to some ending credits song, even though I suck at dancing,” she adds. 

Waverly can’t help but interrupt her with a quick kiss on her lips. She takes Nicole’s hand in her own, lacing their fingers together. She allows her to keep going. 

“We spend some holidays with Wynonna. She probably makes some weird mixed drink concoctions that I pretend to enjoy, because it’s Wynonna. We get to plan the most epic Hallween party we’ve ever seen in October, which is huge because Halloween was the only holiday my parents seemed to care about and it was awesome. Christmas was already perfect,” she says. “I know you think I didn’t want to decorate with you, but I loved it. I loved seeing your face light up when you found the perfect tree and spending our first Christmas together.”

“First of all, that’s the most beautiful vision of how you wanted the year to go that I’ve ever heard,” Waverly says with a huge smile on her face. “But look, I know this year wasn’t ideal, but you know what I loved about it?” she asks. 

“What?” Nicole asks. 

“It gave me you,” Waverly tells her. A smile grows on Nicole’s face. “I know that life is short and you never know what’s going to happen or what you’re going to get dealt, but as long as we do have the time we can do all of those things,” she assures her. “I want all of that with you, Nicole and I look forward to all of those things with you. But I’m also grateful just to be here with you. We made it through one hell of a year and we’re stronger because of it.”

  
  
  
  


____________

  
  
  
  
  


It’s New Year’s Eve and Wynonna is throwing a party at the homestead. When they arrive at the house, Waverly knocks on the door, but realizes how weird it feels. She quickly decides to just open the door and walk in instead. The house is full of various police officers, giving Waverly flashbacks to the first night she spent with Nicole at her going away party. She looks over at the redhead standing next to her, taking her hand in her own. She’s just glad she gets to go home with her that night and doesn’t have to worry about her going away in the morning. 

“Be my beer pong partner?” Waverly asks as they make their way into the house. She gestures to the table in the kitchen where Wynonna and Dolls are already playing on one end of the table. Nicole agrees and follows her into the kitchen. Wynonna greets them with hugs before returning to the game, winning quickly.

Waverly hasn’t played beer pong since Nicole’s going away party, but she’s surprisingly still good at the game. She thinks back to that night, to playing beer pong with Nicole, feeling the redhead closing the gap between them. This time, Nicole wraps her arms around Waverly’s waist from behind her. Waverly looks at the cups across the table, seeing her sister trying to be a distraction on the other side of the table. Wynonna is waving her hands over the cups, acting like she’s going to block the shot. Nicole leans down, kissing Waverly on the cheek. “For good luck,” she whispers in her ear. 

“Come on, babygirl, don’t miss it!” Wynonna taunts her from the other side of the table.

“Wynonna, what if you went one game without trying to be a distraction?” she asks, shaking her head at her sister.

“No can do, babygirl,” Wynonna says, waving her hand over the cups again 

The game gets down to one last cup. Nicole offers to shoot first, but misses, leaving it up to Waverly to win the game for them again. Wynonna continues to flail from the other side of the table. Waverly shakes her head at her sister, giving her a look, but she doesn’t stop. 

Waverly turns toward her girlfriend, pulling her in for a kiss. She hears Wynonna gagging from across the table and she shoots her a look. She takes the ball and lines it up with the cup in front of her. Tossing the ball into the air, the room goes quiet and she watches as the ball soars through the air, sinking perfectly into the cup. Waverly throws her arms into the air in excitement, jumping into Nicole’s arms. Nicole lifts her off the ground, swinging her around in a circle. Wynonna lets out an audible groan before she exits the table for the next team to join the game. 

After winning a few more games, they lose to Wynonna again, and excuse themselves from the table. “You still got it,” Nicole says, playfully nudging Waverly with her elbow. 

“I practiced daily while you were gone,” Waverly teases. 

“Wait, really?” Nicole asks. Waverly breaks out into laughter. 

“No,” she says. They make their way into another room of the house to find some of Nicole’s fellow officers hanging out. They fall into easy conversation with the group for a while before they all disperse into different areas of the house. 

“Do you want to play 20 questions?” Waverly asks. Nicole turns toward her and smirks. 

“I guess the tables have turned,” Nicole laughs. “You wanted nothing to do with 20 questions when I asked,” she says.

“That’s so not true!” Waverly protests. “I just didn’t know your intentions then,” she tells her. Nicole laughs and pulls Waverly onto her lap in the corner of the couch. 

“Do I get to ask about sex positions this time?” Nicole asks, raising an eyebrow at Waverly. 

“I think you already know the answer to those questions,” Waverly says, leaning in and kissing Nicole on the neck. Nicole sighs, making Waverly giggle. 

“You keep doing that and I’ll have to take you up to your old room and try some of those out,” Nicole whispers in her ear. Waverly feels a shiver down her spine and moves her lips to Nicole’s. 

“Okay,” Waverly says as she pulls away. “Question one, what’s your favorite thing about me?” she asks. 

“Oh man,” Nicole says. “You’re giving me hard questions this time,” she whines. 

“That’s hard?” Waverly asks. 

“Baby, I love so many things about you,” Nicole explains. “Can my answer be everything?” she asks. 

“Absolutely not,” Waverly says. “Because I know that’s a lie,” she laughs. 

“Fine,” Nicole sighs. “I love how patient you are,” she answers honestly. “You’re so incredibly patient and I wish I could have even a fraction of your patience,” she sighs. 

“You’re more patient than you give yourself credit for,” Waverly assures her. Nicole dramatically scoffs at her girlfriend and continues on.

“Okay, question two,” she says. “What’s the best first kiss you’ve ever had?” she asks. Waverly turns her head, grinning back at the redhead. 

“Umm,” Waverly pretends to think. “Definitely the boy that kissed me in the school library in fourth grade, it nearly knocked me out of my seat,” she laughs. Nicole shoots her a look, causing her to laugh harder. “Mostly because I was trying to get away from him,” she adds, causing Nicole to break out into laughter. “Kidding,” Waverly continues. “Definitely you.”

“I was going to start arguing,” Nicole teases. 

“Nothing beats a 2am kiss on a slide in the park,” Waverly says with a wink. Nicole grins with pride and Waverly leans in, kissing her softly on the lips. “I also love every kiss after that too,” she adds. “Question three,” she says, booping Nicole playfully on the nose and thinking a little before she comes up with a question. “If you could put anything in a time capsule and bury it, what would you put in?”

“How long would it be until it’s opened?” Nicole asks. Waverly can tell she’s really thinking into this.

“Fifty years?” Waverly responds with an estimated time. 

“I’d make a video of life now and see how it’s changed then,” Nicole tells her. “On that note, question four,” she says. “Where do you see us in five years?” 

“You still going to want to be with me?” Waverly teases. Nicole gasps dramatically, making Waverly laugh. 

“Baby, I’ll take forever if you let me,” Nicole says. Waverly feels her heart beat faster in her chest. She can’t even picture life without Nicole in it at this point. 

“I’m not sure where I see us in five years,” Waverly admits. “I’ve been looking at it day by day right now,” she says. “Making the best of every day, you know?” Nicole nods in agreement. 

“Are you two just going to make out on the couch all night?” Wynonna’s voice breaks them from their bubble and they turn to see her hovering over the back of the couch. 

“Maybe,” Waverly tells her, grinning at Nicole. 

“Come play pong again, we need opponents,” Wynonna whines. Nicole looks at Waverly, giving her a look that says they should probably go join their friends. Waverly tries to protest, but gives in when she sees her sister giving her a pouty lip. 

“Fine,” Waverly huffs as she stands up from the couch. She reaches her hand out for Nicole to take it, pulling her up onto her feet. “Question five,” she says to Nicole on their way over to the beer pong table. Nicole turns her focus to the brunette. “What’s your favorite thing about yourself?” 

“You,” Nicole says quickly. 

“That’s not an answer to that question!” Waverly argues. Nicole laughs as they continue to walk toward the beer pong table. 

“Fine,” Nicole huffs. “My amazing beer pong skills,” she teases. Waverly laughs because she usually ends up carrying the pair to victory. “Can we bomb this game though so we don’t have to keep playing?” She asks. 

Waverly laughs and shakes her head at her girlfriend. “Dying for more 20 questions?” She asks. 

“Dying to be alone with you,” Nicole whispers in Waverly’s ear, sending another shiver down her spine. 

“You live with me,” Waverly says. “Don’t you get sick of me?” She asks. 

“No way!” Nicole says, louder than expected. Waverly laughs and she can feel the weird look they’re receiving from her sister across the table. 

The game goes rather quickly. Waverly actually doesn’t try to lose the game, but they end up missing the last cup, leading Wynonna and Dolls to victory. They aren’t bothered by the loss. They gracefully exit the table, allowing the next pair to take over. 

By now, Jeremy and Robin have arrived. They’re in the kitchen getting drinks together. Waverly and Nicole join them, making small talk for a bit until Wynonna recruits the other pair to the best pong table, leaving Nicole and Waverly alone once again. 

“Question six,” Nicole starts as they return to the living room. Waverly takes a sip of her drink and focuses in on her girlfriend. “If you could redo one day of your life, what day would it be?” 

“Like a redo where I’d change things? Or just to have the day to relive?” Waverly asks. 

“And you say I think too much into this,” Nicole teases. Waverly laughs and nudges her softly. “However you want,” Nicole says.

“Okay, then I’d choose the day of your party,” Waverly tells her. “Well, that night. I would replay that night over and over until it got old,” she says with a smile. “But I doubt it would.”

“That was a good night,” Nicole says with a smile, reminiscing on the memory. 

“Luckily, we can have plenty of nights like that again,” Waverly tells her. She kisses her on the cheek and leads her back into the living room. It’s weird being in her old house again for the party, knowing that she doesn’t live there anymore. But on the other hand, it’s easy for her to feel at home again in the space that she did call home for most of her life. “Question seven,” Waverly says as she sits back down on the couch. “Describe me in 3 words,” she grins up at her girlfriend, who takes a swig of her drink and plops down on the couch next to her. 

“Hmm,” Nicole thinks for a moment. She lifts her arm up on the back of the couch, allowing Waverly to fit comfortably against her body. “Smart,” she starts. 

“I’m surprised you didn’t start with something physical,” Waverly teases. 

“Wow, way to have some faith in me,” Nicole groans. “Second word, sexy,” she says with a wink. Waverly playfully pushes her. “What?!” Nicole asks. “It’s definitely true!” She leans in and kisses Waverly softly on the lips. The kiss is soft and sweet, tongues brushing just lightly for a moment. “Incredible,” Nicole says when they pull away. 

“The kiss?” Waverly asks. 

“You,” Nicole says. “But that too,” she says with a laugh. “If today was your last day, how would you spend it?” she asks.

“Is that question eight?” Waverly asks. Nicole nods. “Just like this,” Waverly answers. “Here with you.” She leans in further into the redhead’s body, forgetting they’re at a party with a bunch of people. “I’m running out of question ideas,” Waverly laughs. “How about, if your life was a novel, what would the title be?” she asks.

“What?” Nicole laughs. “That’s a good question, actually,” she tells her. She thinks for a moment before telling her she doesn’t know what it would be. “Do you know what yours would be?” Nicole asks. 

“It depends on what phase of life I’m in,” Waverly says. “If it was last year, probably something about living with my crazy sister,” she laughs. 

“Question ten,” Nicole says. “What are you most proud of?” she asks.

“You,” Waverly says quickly.

“You didn’t even think about that,” Nicole tells her. She turns her head fully to make eye contact with the brunette.

“I didn’t have to,” Waverly says. “Baby, I’ve seen you come so far this year and I’ve never been more proud of anyone,” she tells her. “I don’t think I tell you enough, but I am so incredibly proud of you.” 

“I love you,” Nicole says, kissing her on the cheek.

“I love you too,” Waverly tells her. “Question eleven,” she says. “If you weren’t a police officer, what would you want to be?”

“I can’t imagine being anything other than a police officer,” Nicole admits. “I know it’s scary sometimes, but I do love it.”

“I don’t think I could picture you as anything else either,” Waverly admits. “The uniform is definitely a plus,” she says with a wink.  

“Are you going to start only liking me for my body?” Nicole teases. 

“Start?” Waverly jokes. Nicole gives her an offended look, causing Waverly to break out into laughter. “Kidding, baby,” she tells her. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Nicole huffs. “Question twelve,” she says. “What’s your favorite thing about living with me?” 

“Seeing you in the uniform more often,” Waverly teases, causing Nicole to groan. 

“Okay, okay, that was a stupid question,” she laughs. “Question thirteen, shoot,” she says, pointing toward Waverly. 

“Did you really enjoy decorating for Christmas with me?” Waverly asks. She knows that Nicole has never really been into Christmas.

“Baby, I enjoy doing a lot of things with you I never enjoyed before,” Nicole assures her. “Besides, seeing the way you light up when you were decorating was really cute,” she says.

“I have an idea,” Waverly tells her, standing up from the couch. She takes her hand and heads for the door of the house. Nicole gives her a weird look when she puts on her jacket and boots before opening the door to leave. 

“Where are you taking me?” Nicole asks, following closely behind her girlfriend, but not before putting on her jacket and grabbing hats and gloves for the both of them. 

“On a walk,” Waverly says. Nicole looks at her confused again. 

“Waves, it’s December, it’s freezing out!” Nicole reminds her. Waverly continues to pull Nicole’s arm, dragging her out into the cold air of the night. 

“I want to go back to the park,” she says as she continues walking, taking one of the hats and putting it on her head. Nicole agrees and continues to walk with the brunette. She’s right, it is cold out, but the more they walk, the warmer Waverly feels. They arrive at the park. It looks a lot different than it did that warm night in June, the first night they went there together. Most of the playground is covered with snow and ice. 

Nicole turns toward the playground anyway, reaching up for the monkey bars. She wraps her gloved hands around the bars, swinging her body in the air. “You’re going to break your neck!” Waverly calls out when she sees her girlfriend trying to flip herself upside down.

“This was your idea,” Nicole reminds her. Waverly rolls her eyes at the redhead.

“Do you want to go back to the party?” she asks. Nicole jumps down from the monkey bars and makes her way up to where Waverly is standing. 

“Not really,” she admits. “Being here with you was one of the best nights of my life,” she tells her. “Screw the cold!” Waverly laughs and wraps her arms around Nicole’s waist.

Looking up at her, she says, “Question fourteen,” with a smile. Nicole tilts her head down, making eye contact with the brunette. “What was your favorite part of that night?” she asks. 

“Finally getting to know you,” Nicole tells her. “I wanted to talk to you so many times and I never did,” she says. “That night I was determined.” Waverly laughs. 

“I’m glad you were determined,” Waverly tells her. 

“Okay, question fifteen,” Nicole says with a smile. She moves slightly away from Waverly, scooping up some snow with her hands, forming it into a ball.

“You better not throw that at me, Haught,” Waverly warns. Nicole holds the ball of snow back, winding up like she’s going to throw it toward Waverly. “Nicole!” Waverly squeals. Nicole laughs and throws it against a tree in the opposite direction of Waverly. 

Nicole laughs. “I wasn’t going to throw it at you!” she assures her. “Okay, the question,” she continues. “If you could switch lives with anyone for a day, who would it be?” she asks.

“Oh, man,” Waverly says. “That’s a hard one!” she laughs.

“I’m pulling out the big guns now,” Nicole says with a laugh. 

“Can I choose you?” Waverly asks. 

“Why would you want to choose me?” Nicole asks, a confused look on her face. 

“Because then I wouldn’t have to live without you,” Waverly says with a grin, causing Nicole to smile back at her. “Cheesy, I know,” Waverly blushes. 

“You’re sweet,” Nicole assures her. Waverly leans down to pick up snow in her gloved hands. She forms it quickly into a ball before throwing it at the redhead’s side. “I take back my previous statement!” Nicole says with a shocked look on her face. 

“Bad aim?” Waverly says with a wink. “Question sixteen,” she continues. “What’s your go to karaoke song?” she asks.

“Journey,” Nicole says. “Don’t stop believing,” she sings the words as they come out of her mouth. Waverly laughs. 

“Why am I not surprised?” she asks. 

“Question seventeen,” Nicole begins. “Have you ever had a collection of anything?” she asks. 

Waverly stops for a moment to think before she speaks. “I tried collecting coins as a kid, but had trouble not spending the money,” she admits, feeling her cheeks blushing in embarrassment. Nicole laughs and tells her she did the same thing as a kid. Maybe they are actually meant for each other. 

“Question eighteen ,” Waverly says. “Would you rather give up coffee or alcohol for the rest of your life?” she asks. 

“Why must you ask me cruel questions?” Nicole asks, dramatically. Waverly gives her a pointed look. “For sure alcohol,” she answers. “There’s no way I’m giving up coffee,” she says, causing Waverly laugh. “Okay, I got one,” she says. “Question nineteen ,” she starts. “If you had to change what place in life you’re in, would you rather be in the past or in the future?”

“The past,” Waverly says, quickly. 

“Why the past?” Nicole asks. 

“Because I don’t want to skip anything from here on out,” Waverly admits. She agrees that there are things in the past that she wouldn’t want to relive, but there’s no way she wants to skip ahead any days that she could spend with Nicole. It takes a moment for Waverly to break from her thoughts, which leads her to her final question.

“Question 20,” Waverly starts. She gestures with one finger for Nicole to come toward her. Nicole smiles and moves closer to Waverly again. She looks down at the brunette who takes her hands in her own. “You know how much you mean to me?” Waverly asks. 

“Is that question 20?” Nicole teases. 

“No,” Waverly says with a laugh. “I just feel like I don’t tell you enough. But you, Nicole Haught, are the love of my life,” she says. 

“Come here,” Nicole says as she wraps her arms around Waverly’s waist, closing the gap between their bodies. Waverly feels warmth coming from Nicole’s body, which is a nice change from the cold air against her face.

“It’s been a pretty wild rise since the first time we were here,” Waverly continues. She feels a surge of nerves rush through her body. It’s been a long time since the woman in front of her has made her nervous. 

“It’s been one hell of a ride,” Nicole laughs. “You’ve been wonderful putting up with everything. I don’t think I can ever thank you enough for being my rock through all of this, babe.” 

“I don’t think you know how much you’ve changed my life for the better, Nicole. And if there’s one thing that I’ve learned, it’s that I’m not interested in a life without you in it,” Waverly says. 

She tilts her head up to make eye contact with the redhead before she continues talking. 

“I took a chance a year and a half ago and ended up at a party with a bunch of people I hardly knew. You had me absolutely captivated from the start,” Waverly tells her. She’s slightly distracted by the beautiful smile on Nicole’s face. “You’re smart and you’re funny and I swear I could have listened to you talk all night that night.” 

“You did,” Nicole laughs. 

“I never wanted that night to end,” Waverly continues. “I went inside and sat on the stairs with my sister and I cried. I cried because all it took was spending that time with you to realize you were someone I didn’t want to lose. Even after one night,” she says. “Then you took the time to write me letters for most of a year. You never questioned me once, you just went with it and made it work to the best of your ability. And for that I’m forever grateful.”

Nicole doesn’t speak. Waverly feels like she can see tears forming in the redhead’s eyes. She reaches into her pocket and pulls out a ring box. Inside is a simple band, nothing flashy. When she saw it, she knew that it would be the perfect ring for Nicole. She moves a little further away from the redhead, immediately missing the contact, but knows it won’t be long until they’re against each other again. 

“So now I’m standing here in front of you, a year and a half later after that first night. In the place where we first kissed, to ask you to be my last first kiss. I want you, Nicole Haught, on your good days and you bad, for the rest of our lives,” she says with a smile, attempting to stop the tears from falling down her own cheeks. She opens the ring box to reveal the ring to the redhead. 

She looks up at Nicole, who is now focusing on the ring box that Waverly is holding how toward her. She can’t help but smile when she sees the smile on the  redhead’s face. She doesn’t speak at first, but starts nodding her head not long after. 

“Will you marry me?” Waverly finally asks. She sees Nicole immediately lift her gaze from the ring to Waverly’s eyes. She doesn’t speak, but pushes her lips quickly against Waverly’s. The kiss is deepened quickly, tongues brushing. When they finally come up for air, Waverly slowly pulls back, looking into Nicole’s eyes, waiting for a verbal response. “Is that a yes?” Waverly asks.

“It’s an absolutely,” Nicole says. Waverly grins back at the redhead, pulling the ring out of the box, and slides it onto Nicole’s finger. Nicole looks down at the ring on her finger, smile growing impossibly larger. Waverly slides her hands to either side of Nicole’s face, pulling her back in for a kiss. It’s sweet and slow. Neither of them deepen the kiss. As they pull back, their foreheads rest against one another’s, naturally. 

Waverly doesn’t open her eyes yet. She can’t see Nicole’s face, but she feels the smile that grows across her mouth. She can’t help but smile back as she stands in the arms of the woman she loves with the promise of a beautiful future officially in their hands. 


End file.
